Anthony Kelly - Martial Arts World Record Breaker

[@PLUGO]

This is Anthony Kelly, Guinness book of World Records holder for such thing as catching arrows, catching them blindfolded and over 50 more.
He joined me on the latest episode of TIGER TALK
https://youtu.be/utGTt9Zenpo

https://youtu.be/utGTt9Zenpo
Tiger Talk 2 with Guinness Book of world record holder Anthony Kelly
Learn more at Kickstart.aTigersTale.com

[GeneChing]

From feats of endurance and athleticism to the downright strange, these are Australia's Guinness World Record holders
By Gary Nunn
Posted 3h ago

Australia's world record holders include an Olympic gymnast, a martial arts expert, and a woman who shoots the bow and arrow with her feet.(Supplied: Olivia Vivian/Anthony Kelly/Guinness World Records)

Ever since she was 12, lifelong passionate swimmer Fiona Cullinane wanted to swim the English channel between Britain and France.

So it was with a real sense of accomplishment that in 2022, at age 20, she achieved her long-held dream.

Post feat, a fellow swimmer asked if she'd accompany him to swim the North Channel — from Northern Ireland to Scotland — a month later. She agreed, cancelling her booked flight back to Perth, where she lives.

What happened next was completely unexpected.

"As I finished the 147-kilometre swim in Portpatrick, Scotland, I climbed onto the boat, and this woman said: 'Fiona, congratulations! You've just broken the world record'," Cullinane says.

A swimmer stands on a boat with a towel wrapped around her as a person kneels talking to her
Fiona Cullinane unexpectedly broke the world record for youngest female to swim the North Channel in 2022.(Supplied: Guinness World Records)

"I didn't even know there was a record to break!"

In shock, and panting from her 10-hour-and-4-minute-long swim, Cullinane drew a rectangle with her fingers, indicating a certificate. The wordless gesticulation was a question. "To check I'd heard her right," she says.

She had. Cullinane had just become the world record holder for the youngest female to ever swim the North Channel, aged 20 years and 253 days. The previous record holder, a Scot who later direct-messaged Cullinane on Facebook to congratulate her, had held the global title for 25 years.

"I'm always emotional after a long swim," Cullinane says. "But this was next level. I burst into tears, and was just bawling."

Less than a year of glory

For 11 months, until August 2023, Cullinane sat amongst a small group of extraordinary, diverse and, in some cases, incredibly talented Australians: Guinness World Record (GWR) holders.

A woman wearing SPEEDO branded swimsuit with goggles on her swimming cap smiles on a beach
Fiona Cullinane held her record for 11 months.(Supplied: Guinness World Records)

Unlike Cullinane, many will have their eyes firmly set on the prize, and will prepare for years to break that record.

Just under a year into her title, Cullinane heard rumbles of challengers.

"I had a feeling it was coming," she says. "It was actually quite exciting watching it unfold on social media. Two girls were both going for it, almost like a race. It has returned to the home country now — an Irish girl holds it."

The fact that Cullinane's record was broken so quickly after her predecessor held it for a quarter of a century shows that the act of record breaking itself is on the up.

In 2023, Guinness World Records received 40,455 applications for record attempts; a 4.8 per cent increase from 2022, when it received 38,584 applications.

Not every record makes the edited, hallowed book itself, which includes the wackiest and most impressive highlights.

Meet Australia's world record holders likely to make the 2025 book

What drives people in their desire to, at times, put their safety at risk and their lives on hold, to get their name in that famous book?

A combination of factors are at play: bragging rights, human endeavour, eccentricity, 15 minutes of fame, or to simply prove to ourselves that we're still alive, worthy of achievement and can even be the world-best in a field, no matter how niche, narrow or quirky.

Australia's current record holders span all such categories.

They include remarkable feats of human athleticism and endurance, such as the highest altitude catch of an American football (221.89m) broken by Brendan Fevola in Melbourne, September 2022. Or most aerial silk front saltos — drops that rotate forward like somersaults — in one minute (25), achieved by Celeste Dixon in Adelaide, September 2022. Or most "mega walls" climbed in one minute (seven), achieved by Australian Ben Polson in January 2023.

These sit alongside more novelty records held by humans and, in one case, an Australian dog. The tallest stack of hats worn at once (107.5cm) was set by Anthony Kelly in Armidale in May 2022. Stanley the dog holds the world record for most consecutive items caught by a dog (27). Stanley got his certificate in September 2022 in Dederang, Victoria.

Traversing both the quirkily unusual and the impressively contortionist is the Gold Coast's Shannen Jones, who holds the world record for ****hest arrow shot using feet (18.27m), which really has to be seen to be believed.

A woman bent over with her legs above her head uses her feet to shoot a bow and arrow
Gold Coast woman Shannen Jones holds the world record for ****hest arrow shot using feet, at 18.27 metres.(Supplied: Guinness World Records)

Craig Glenday, Guinness World Records' editor-in-chief, tells the ABC that a strong theme of sports and endurance emerges from Australia's 2024/25 record-breaker applications.

"This differs from general categories like fastest or most in a minute," he says.

Records can only include one superlative (fastest run), and not multiple superlatives (fastest run by tallest woman).

Australia punches above its weight. In the 2024 edition, 83 records were from Australia, in line with populations triple our size such as Germany and France.

'Guinness World Records asked me to do it'

Olivia Vivian, 34, from Perth, is in 2024's book for most consecutive flying bar jumps (female). She performed 28 of them on a TV show in Milan in February 2023.

Vivian now holds four records, including furthest monkey bars travelled in one minute and in three minutes, which she broke earlier — having been invited to do so.

Given her profile as an Olympian gymnast who competed at the Beijing Games, GWR actually reached out and asked her to have a crack.

A muscular woman in white top and orange shorts grips onto a long stick as she navigates an obstacle course
Guinness World Records approached Olivia Vivian to see if she would be interested in attempting some records suited to her skills as an elite gymnast.(Supplied: Olivia Vivian)

"It was during COVID and I got the impression GWR wanted people to start breaking records again," she says.

"They said, do you want to try breaking these ones? As I was in Fortress Perth, which had few COVID cases, it was an easier place to get the appropriate witnesses to my attempt, who filmed continuously from multiple angles."

Whilst Vivian enthusiastically agreed — it was a "childhood dream" to be in that exciting book — another challenge awaited her on the day of her attempt: Perth's 42-degree heat.

A woman leaps through the air to grab a red horizontal bar, grinning widely
Olivia Vivian now holds four Guinness World Records, including most consecutive flying bar jumps (female). (Supplied: Guinness World Records)

Initially she travelled 65 metres on the monkey bars in 60 seconds, breaking the one-minute record. But trouble lay ahead for her three-minute record attempt.

"I started feeling the skin separate from the flesh on my hand in the heat as the metal monkey bars were scorching," she says.

Nevertheless she persisted — and also broke the three minute record.

"I did have to wait until my hands healed before I tried the three-minute attempt," she says.

That night was her brother's 30th birthday. Vivian turned up in a cocktail dress with red tape on her scalded hands.

"Everyone asked what'd happened," she says. "I told them about breaking world records that day and my brother said, laughing, 'Liv, you couldn't let me have one day about me, could you!'"

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[GeneChing]

Do novelty records devalue those requiring years of training?

2024's Guinness World Records includes some feats that are so extremely niche, they verge on the ridiculous. Most rotating puzzle cubes solved one-handed while hula hooping is one such example. Fastest mini disc caught by a dog is another.

Previous years have seen records verging on the puerile, such as loudest burp ever recorded by a male. Then there are the seemingly futile: most toilet seats smashed with your head in one minute (47).

On one hard, it's gratifying the book still exists and is going strong as it approaches its 70th anniversary next year: a triumph of print publishing on a subject — outlandish, extraordinary and sensational feats — which the TikTok generation can access instantly. The book acts as a trustworthy physical authority on the superlative in a world wary of fake news and AI deep fakes.

However, one of its former senior staff members takes a dim view of how records have become wackier.

Last year, Anna Nicholas, former head of PR for the book in the 80s and 90s, told The Guardian that she lamented how things had changed: records are now more sensationalist, she said, to meet the demand of an audience that can see extraordinary things whenever they like on social media.

A white dog with black ears and patches jumps up to catch, in an open grassy field with pond behind
Good boy Stanley, from Dederang in Victoria, holds the record for most consecutive items caught by a dog.(Supplied: Guinness World Records)

Those who grew up receiving the annual book as a Christmas gift might counter-argue that it has always included the oddball, the circus freak; that absurdity and achievement have always sat side by side.

Glenday says this is actually the best thing about the book, and that if you look back inside its first edition in 1995, there were definitely quirky and sensationalist records in there by today's standards.

"We're not elitist, we're accessible. We aren't exclusive, we are inclusive," he says. "It's this broad approach to what we consider record-worthy that has sustained us over 70 years. We're incredibly proud to receive applications and ideas from everyone no matter who you are, where you're from or what your passion is."

Some notable names hold records they didn't set out to achieve. Elon Musk holds the record for largest amount of money lost by one person. Eminem holds the verbose, pacy record for most words in a hit single (Rap God at 1,560 words).

One thing that open water swimmer Cullinane showcases is that we can focus so much on one superlative, we overlook others.

The word's fastest runners and swimmers often become household names. But, whilst the Olympics rewards speed, GWR rewards endurance.

"I was never the fastest swimmer," Cullinane says. "But I just found that I could just keep going no matter what. And open water gave me that opportunity."

Back home in WA, she became something of a Perthonality.

"Both my parents are schoolteachers, so were telling their pupils. Word kind of got round. They also went out and bought eight copies of that year's book," she says laughing.

"I was a swim teacher at the time and I'd hear parents saying their kids should use my record as motivation."

Australasia's greatest record holder of all time

Anthony Kelly from Armidale currently holds 60 Guinness World Records — more than any other Australasian. (Silvio Sabba from Milan currently holds the most worldwide: 193.)

Kelly, 60, speaks to me with his certificates as the backdrop; they take over all four walls of his study.

They include: most arrows caught in two minutes, blindfolded. Same for tennis balls and paintballs across both one and two minutes, both blindfolded and not. He holds world records for greatest height to shoot and catch an arrow, highest catch of a tennis ball, most punches in one minute and one hour, most candles extinguished with a single martial arts kick and most spears caught from a spear gun whilst underwater (his proudest record).


Anthony Kelly holds 60 Guinness World Records — more than any other Australasian.(Supplied: Anthony Kelly)

He has also participated in successful mass world record-breaking attempts, including the most people breaking pine boards at once and the most people playing hand-held games at once.

Additionally, he has organised world-record-breaking stints, including the most people doing fist bumps, the most people head banging and the largest human wheelbarrow race.

Such feats cover 23 years, going back to a martial arts demonstration in 2001 when Kelly, a coach in the discipline, learnt how to catch an arrow, having seen it in an old martial arts film.

"I sent footage to Guinness World Records thinking they may like to create a record like this," Kelly says. "Within six weeks I was in Madrid in front of 24 million doing it live on their TV show. It changed my life."

Since then, Kelly has appeared on TV shows worldwide doing stunts both he and GWR came up with to demonstrate his remarkably quick reflex skills. He can open and close his hand 75 times in five seconds and punch 13 times in one second. "Bruce Lee and Muhammad Ali only ripped out eight," he says.

The record he trained hardest for — taking some years — was catching arrows blindfolded.


Anthony Kelly says it took thousands of hours of practice at catching arrows to prepare for his most coveted record.(Supplied: Anthony Kelly)

"It took thousands of hours," he says. "I face away from the archer and hear the arrow leave the bow, so I can calculate when to grip it. But the hardest thing was convincing my mind I could do it."

This record also came with injury; an arrow went into his arm on a TV show in Amsterdam; he blames a "bad archer". Most of the time the archer he uses, he trusts — his brother-in-law. "He's a really good shot," Kelly says.

Another time, on India's first GWR show, an arrow went through his finger and stuck out the other end. "It bloody hurt," he says.

Kelly has been hospitalised several times from record attempts. When catching the most tennis balls per hour — coming at him at 100km an hour — he had internal bruising and bleeding and broke two of his fingers.

So why do it?

"Well that was to raise money for a bloke I met who lost everything in Hurricane Katrina," he says nonchalantly.

"To my wife's horror, I do things that are extremely dangerous or spend a lot of money to break these records.

"But I enjoy it. I travel the world and meet fascinating people — from professional tightrope walkers, to the world's shortest woman and hairiest man, and the world's most pierced woman (15,000 piercings!)

"Some of them have become good friends. We're all in the same boat, I think. They're just trying to be who they are. And that's who I'm trying to be. We're all a bit different to other people in some way. We push the boundaries and leave a legacy."

The deeper meaning in record-breaking

So what motivates the continent's greatest-ever record holder?

"My dad died when I was 16, and, knowing he'd die, left a card for me to open for my 21st birthday," Kelly says. "Inside he wrote: 'Try to be the best you can be. Make sure your life is worth living.'"

It's these words, Kelly says, that drive him towards the next record every time. "I was just a fella from Armidale with a dream," he adds. "Now I have all this," he says, pointing at all his certificates.


In addition to several records in various martial arts, Anthony Kelly holds the title for tallest stack of hats worn by one person. (Supplied: Guinness World Records)

In 2024's GWR book, Anthony Kelly has four record entries — the most any one person has had in any one edition of the book. Alongside the quick reaction feats he's known for, they include that quirky record of the tallest stack of hats worn by one person. It juts out.

"It was an unusual one for me," he agrees. But it came from a more poignant place than it seems; Kelly had a big skin cancer removed from his face. "I wanted to promote the importance of wearing sun hats to kids," he says.

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[GeneChing]

New world record breaking attempts are happening across Australia all the time and, whilst they may seem absurd or even pointless, they often come with a deeper purpose.

On April 25, tennis partners and mates Glenn Pope and Jamie Blair broke the record for longest singles tennis match in Melbourne, with an 82-hour marathon.

In November, Carlos Duque will attempt to break an eccentric record held by fellow Australian Peter Bujewicz: the furthest distance pushing a lawnmower in 24 hours (individual).

Both of these record attempts are designed to raise money for men's health charity Movember.

Bujewicz, who holds the record at 127.57km of lawn, says: "Whether it's pushing a lawnmower for 24 hours or mastering a complex skill over years of dedication, each record represents a unique journey and is a testament to the boundless creativity and individuality of people worldwide."

The commercialisation of the world record book

The charity stunt is one thing — the more commercial or "marketing stunts" are another category altogether.

In 2021, on an overcast day in a carpark in Lancashire, UK, white goods manufacturer Currys created the world's largest washing machine pyramid (44ft 7in) to "send a message to everyone who is still confused about what to do with their old appliances" and encourage them to recycle old machines.

These types of record attempts are often devised by the GWR Consultancy arm. Since 2009, the organisation has offered adjudication services to customers — usually brands wanting publicity — for a fee starting at $21,000. Half of the company's revenue now comes from such stunts.

Do such viral-hungry stunts diminish the human endeavour feat that takes a lifetime of sacrifice and challenge?

GWR says these sorts of stunts — which comprise 2.7 per cent of record applications they receive — are a part of their business plan to stay afloat.

"Like any business, we've grown and diversified to stay relevant," editor-in-chief Glenday tells the ABC. "Some of the world's biggest brands come to us to break records because they see the value of being 'the best' at something."

GWR also makes money from an adjudicator being present at record-breaking attempts — around $11,600 a pop. It gets the record fast-tracked for approval. Some TV shows and brands pay this, but most take the free route of submitting video evidence for scrutiny, then holding their breath for months.

GWR has 90 adjudicators, with some now based in Australia and some who travel around the world. But Australian adjudicators can be scarce. One judge once flew from the London HQ to Sydney "to weigh a risotto", and then got back on the plane again.

A high stakes game offering novelty in a dark world

Recent news stories have highlighted how high the stakes can get when it comes to GWR's strict guidelines — some of which run to dozens of pages. Each record applicant is allowed three attempts.

This month, British runner Russ Cook travelled more than 10,100 miles completing his 352-day run from South Africa to Tunisia. But his claim to a world record for being the first person to run the full length of Africa has been disputed.

A red haired man cheering surrounded by a crowd.
Russ Cook finished his journey in Tunisia after travelling through 16 countries on a 352-day odyssey.(Reuters: Zoubeir Souissi)

Marie Leautey from the World Runners Association (WRA) told British media: "We have no problem with him claiming to be the first to run from the most southern [point] to the most northern. But when we read he is the first man to run the entire length of Africa, it is just not true, from a facts perspective."

That man was Jesper Olsen, who became the first person to run the length of Africa back in 2010 when he travelled from Taba in Egypt to the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa in 434 days. He said two other members of the WRA had also completed the feat "without one single day off, unlike Cook, where there were several days off".

Last month, a French man who spent eight years building his dream of being a world record holder matchstick by matchstick, had his dreams crushed when judges disqualified him for using the wrong materials.

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A post shared by richard Plaud (@toureiffelallumettes)

Richard Plaud's attempt for the tallest matchstick sculpture (of the Eiffel Tower), used 706,900 matchsticks — but the specially ordered matches, which had been made without an ignitable tip, were initially ruled inadmissible by GWR officials.

Plaud shared his "BIG DISILLUSION, DISAPPOINTMENT AND INCOMPREHENSION" on social media, and days later, GWR opted to reverse its ruling.

Director of records Mark McKinley said they had been "a little heavy handed" with regulations for a matchstick. Plaud's attempt was two feet higher than the previous tallest matchstick Eiffel Tower.

Glenday says people have always had a fascination with superlatives. But there's a profound reason such records, even the seemingly trivial and absurd ones, matter so much in today's fraught world.

"At a time when the news can be so dark, they allow people to better understand the world and their place in it," he says.

He says the book continues to platform people for fun, to learn and to achieve.

"We give them an opportunity to take their passion and skills to the next level," he says.

"Keep an open mind, you might discover something you didn't know about the world, or even about yourself."

Gary Nunn is an author and freelance journalist

There are more photos. I only copy & pasted the ones of Anthony. Didn't know about the hat record.