Our No More Red charity partner Steel Warriors made history in more than one way when they attempted to break four Guinness World Records on Saturday, August 12.
Founded in 2017, the award-winning charity aims to address the root causes of knife crime and inspire positive changes within communities by melting down knives taken off the streets and recycling the steel into outdoor street gyms.
Steel Warriors has grown into a powerful movement highlighting the growth of calisthenics – exercises that rely solely on bodyweight – and has three outdoor gyms based in Finsbury Park, Langdon Park and Ruskin Park.
The four Guinness World Records they attempted to break were (record in brackets):
•Most people performing an unassisted handstand simultaneously (399)
•Most people performing a jump squat relay (250)
•Most people performing a Superman push up relay (250)
•Longest duration to perform a single-arm handstand on a balance dome (45 seconds)
Unfortunately, Steel Warriors were unable to get enough people to break the three mass participation records on the day. However, one individual, Adam Morsel, did manage to break the Guinness World Record for the longest duration to perform a single-arm handstand on a balance dome. He set an impressive new record of 52 seconds!
There was more great news later in the day as Steel Warriors officially announced the launch of a new national governing body for the sport, British Calisthenics. The organisation will aim to govern, codify and develop the sport in a manner that reflects the best interests of our community and protects the authenticity of calisthenics.
Co-founder of British Calisthenics Demi Alvanis said, “This new government body will be monumental for the future of the sport. The calisthenics community is currently fragmented and this will hopefully unify everyone.
“We want to regulate and govern the sport but also above all develop the sport so athletes can compete professionally, coaches can coach calisthenics with an official qualification and encourage the community to embrace a special sport.”
Trainer and coach at Steel Warriors Tayo Awoderu said, “It’s amazing to galvanise this many people who all have a love for calisthenics and it just goes to show the growth of the sport.
“Despite not breaking the three mass participation records, the formation of the governing body will push the sport to the next level by giving us access to funding and breed a new generation of athletes.
“To be a charity partner of Arsenal is an honour. As an Arsenal fan myself, it’s special to be connected to the club in this way. To have the support of one of the world’s biggest clubs for such an important cause means we are able to help as many people as possible in our fight against youth violence.”
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