Renato Bayma Gaia of Brazil has set a new world record for the largest foot rotation, turning his right foot an astounding 210.66 degrees. This achievement surpasses the previous record by 28.63 degrees.
Renato discovered his remarkable flexibility 30 years ago. “I didn’t practice at all,” he stated. “It’s a natural skill.” He is the first person to achieve a rotation exceeding 180 degrees, breaking the records previously held by three men from the U.S. and the U.K. The female record stands at 171.4 degrees, held by Kelsey Grubb from New Mexico, USA.
Renato attempted this feat to honor Curupira, a mythological figure in Brazilian folklore known for having backward feet to mislead hunters and travelers. “He can beat any superhero in the world,” Renato claims. Additionally, Renato dedicated his record to his favorite soccer team SE Palmeiras, and his preferred U.S. sports teams: the Philadelphia Eagles, Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Cubs, and Pittsburgh Penguins.
To break the record, participants must follow strict guidelines: starting with both feet facing forward, they must rotate their foot either by keeping the heel or the toes stationary. The rotation must be done without the use of hands or devices and without changing the upper body direction. The participant must then stand still for at least 10 seconds.
Renato now holds four Guinness World Records titles. Last year, he set two tongue-related records on the same day: most tongue-to-nose touches in one minute (334) and fastest time to remove five Jenga blocks with the tongue (7.38 seconds), shattering the previous record of 55.5 seconds held by Nick Stoeberl, the man with the longest tongue.
In December, Renato also achieved the fastest time to set up and topple 10 books, completing the task in 6.94 seconds, beating the previous record by 1.86 seconds set by serial record breaker Lim Kai Yi. Renato plans to defend his titles with the same dedication as Curupira’s defense of the Amazon rainforest.
