Nepali athlete keeps breaking Guinness World Records in Akron
Dinesh Sunar's dream is to stay with his family in Greater Akron and open a school for parkour. In his native Nepal, the local news media has referred to him as the "Parkour King."
To that end, he has embarked upon a record-setting spree, having racked up a total of 13 Guinness World Records, of which 10 are still standing, with one more awaiting certification.
His most recent record was a parkour move that involves spinning 360 degrees after pushing off of a wall. He did 16 iterations of the stunt in one minute, beating the previous record of 11.
He's been staying with family in the United States for the past 18 months, hoping his skills and recommendations from friends and family will enable him to obtain a green card and permanent residency.
More:Nepalese athlete sets Guinness record in Akron, pursues new life in US
What is parkour?
One of the best depictions of parkour can be seen in the 2006 Bond film "Casino Royale," where Bond and an adversary perform unbelievable, apparently death-defying stunts in an urban landscape.
Parkour has been defined as the art of moving from point to point, often over obstacles, in as fluid a manner as possible.
The United States Parkour Association, which Sunar said is supporting his green card application, defines parkour as "a physical movement discipline in which practitioners train their bodies to overcome both physical and mental obstacles in a variety of environments either in general for recreation or in competitive sport parkour.
"Practitioners train to develop adaptability, creativity, and grit while responsibly assessing risks and striving to complete challenges" the association states.
In Nepal, Sunar's parkour skills earned him a job as a constable in Kathmandu, where he joined the organization's gymnastics team. He also performed in films as a stuntman, and competed in the 2018 world championships hosted by the World Freerunning Parkour Federation.
"I felt so proud to represent my native land, Nepal, and adoptive home, Akron, making both countries proud," he said of his latest record. "My ultimate goal is to establish a parkour academy and contribute to parkour and be recognized by the world. I never give up, and I am someone who understands we should work hard to achieve what we want in our life."
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Dinesh Sunar's current Guinness World Records
The official Guinness World Records website lists all of Sunar's current records. He said the records he achieved in Florida were while staying with family there. They are as follows:
Farthest gainer is 2.20 meters (7.21 feet), Oct. 29, 2022, in Orlando, Florida.
Most blindfolded standing backward somersaults in one minute (21); Oct. 24, 2022, in Orlando.
Most Webster front flips in 30 seconds − parkour (19); Oct. 9, 2022, in Orlando.
Most backward somersault burpees in 30 seconds − male (13); Oct. 5, 2022, in Orlando.
Most butterfly twists in one minute − parkour (22); Aug. 13, 2022, in Baltimore, Maryland.
Most full twist backward somersault burpees in one minute − male (12); June 26, 2022, in Akron.
Most standing full twist backflips in 30 seconds (13); June 10, 2022, in Akron.
The most twisting backflips off a wall in 30 seconds (12); March 11, 2019, in Kathmandu, Nepal.
Most backward somersaults against a wall in 30 seconds (16); Jan. 14, 2018, in Kathmandu.
Most twisting backflips off a wall in one minute − parkour (18); June 1, 2017, in Kathmandu.
Eric Marotta can be reached at emarotta@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @MarottaEric.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Dinesh Sunar breaks another Guinness World Record in bid for green card
