Meet the Man With 121 Guinness World Records

Health store manager from Queens, NY, has set 342 records since 1979
By Mark Russell,  Newser Staff
Posted May 15, 2011 10:43 AM CDT
Ashrita Furman: Meet the Man With 121 Guinness World Records
Ashrita Furman of the US performs squat thrusts, a traditional gymnastic exercise, while balancing on the back of an elephant in an attempt to make the Guinness Book of Records.   (Getty Images)

In November, he had 120 Guinness World Records; now this 56-year-old health food store manager from Queens, NY, has 121. Life's Little Mysteries takes a look at Ashrita Furman, the man who holds the most Guinness records and had his latest verified on Friday. That feat? "Most lemons caught blindfolded in one minute by a team of two," says a Guinness rep. Over the years, Furman has set 342 world records; his first was in 1979, when he did 27,000 jumping jacks. From there, he moved on to continuous somersaulting (for 10 miles, no less)—just because it was the next record listed under the one for jumping jacks.

"'Wow,' I thought, 'it would be cool to have two records right next to each other," writes Furman on his website. Furman's many records include standing on a ball for the longest time, hula hooping for the fastest mile, and walking the longest distance while balancing a pool cue. He often chooses exotic locales for his records, having set achievements on seven continents, in locations ranging from the pyramids to Stonehenge. (More Guinness World Records stories.)

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