A flexible Brazilian recently obliterated the world for the largest foot rotation ever recorded.
Renato Bayma Gaia, set the Guinness World Record when he rotated his right foot an incredible 210.66 degrees. He is the first person on record to twist his foot beyond 180 degrees, and he crushed the previous record by 28.63 degrees. Gaia’s impressive twisting ability earned him his fourth Guinness World Record.
“I didn’t practice at all,” said Gaia. “It’s a natural skill.”
Gaia said he drew inspiration from Curupira, a mythological creature from Brazilian folklore who possesses backwards feet in order to create misleading footprints to fool hunters and travelers.
“He can beat any superhero in the world,” added Gaia.
You can view a short video of Gaia’s impressive feat (feet?) below.
Foot Rotation Rules
If you are considering challenging Gaia for his world record, know that there are a number of rules that must be followed for it to be considered a recognized attempt at history.
- The individual must start with both feet next to each other facing forwards, then rotate their foot in one of two ways – either their heel must remain stationary, or the toes must.
- Without the use of hands or any devices, and without the upper body changing direction, the individual must rotate their foot as much as possible.
- Once in position, the individual must remain standing in the spot for a minimum of 10 seconds.
While you may find Gaia’s feat a little too daunting to challenge, know that you “only” need to twist your foot past 171.4 degrees to beat the current female foot rotation record, which is held by Kelsey Grubb of New Mexico.
If watching that record setting performance made you a little queezy, you’re not alone! Gaia must have some incredibly strong and flexible soft tissues in order to be able to facilitate such an extreme rotational force. That type of rotation would result in an injury for most average folks.