Victorious fist-pumping action
UPDATE: Peterson’s record has apparently already been broken by an assistant producer on an Austin, Tex. radio show. Seriously, people, let’s not make this a thing.
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Put your hands in the air for James Peterson. While some people climb mountains, run long distances, save lives or launch companies that make billions of dollars, the 34-year-old Ohio man has made his mark for posterity by creating and setting a world record for fist-pumping.
Perhaps surprisingly, ‘longest fist-pump’ isn’t currently tracked by Guinness World Records, so we’re not entirely sure if he does indeed hold the record. For the sake of argument, though, we can say the idea originated with Peterson, who spent 17 hours — beginning at 11a.m. on a Friday and ending at 3a.m. the next day — traveling around various local bars near the University of Akron campus in an attempt to set it.
(MORE: Michelle Obama Will Attempt a Jumping-Jack World Record)
Peterson took his task very seriously, as he told the Akron Beacon Journal:
“I have set the qualifications for this record and every minute that I do this is a new record … My fist is super-glued together to ensure I maintain perfect fist formation.”
The technique he employed in his endeavor is known as the “Jersey-style,” which involves an elbow roll and circular action, rather than the straightforward fist-pump into the air.
Videographers captured every second of his prolonged jubilance in order for him to prove his record; he had pulled a similar stunt on St. Patrick’s Day, but there was no footage to prove it. He said he didn’t do any special training to prepare for the bout: “I used to hang light fixtures, so I am used to having my hands above my head,” he told the paper.
NewsFeed wonders, though: after he set the record, what did he do to celebrate?
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