NEW YORK—When Samuel Jackson woke up this morning, he didn’t know he would break a world record.
But by the early afternoon, Jackson became the fastest in the world in the 20-meter butt scoot. Jackson, a professional vocalist from the Bronx, finished in 20.41 seconds, beating the previous record of 22.03 seconds.
“I’m out of breath, but I love it,” Jackson, said at the finish line, suddenly the center of media attention.
Jackson broke the record as part of the Nov. 6 Guinness World Record Unleashed event on Times Square, where anyone could take a shot at one of four world records.
Jackson attempted the butt scoot earlier in the day, but couldn’t break the 22-second mark. So he returned.
“I was like ‘let me take off my glasses, take off my jacket’ and then I just kind of focused on going, going, going, and that was it,” Jackson said.
Another record up for breaking was the fastest time for two people to make a single bed. Two nurses currently hold the record at 14 seconds. People also tried to beat the fastest time to build a pyramid of 20 shot glasses, which still holds at 6.44 seconds. Another unbroken record: 20 baskets made from the free throw line while sitting down.
Stephanie Matto tried to beat the shot-glass pyramid record.
“I was so nervous. My hands were shaking a little bit,” Matto said.
Matto came to the city from Connecticut to shop and did not know about the event.
“Once you are in the zone and you’re doing it, it’s easier,” Matto, who finished in 23 seconds, said. “It’s not hard to stack them. It’s hard to do it quickly.”
Casual passersby are rarely offered a chance to attempt to beat Guinness World Records, according to Stuart Claxton, marketing director of Guinness World Records Limited.
“This is actually the first time we’ve done something like this,” Claxton said.
There are over 50,000 Guinness World Records to date. Every record breaker receives a certificate in addition to the “boasting rights” of claiming to be the best in the world.
