Martial artist & pupil scripts new Guinness Record for highest number of kicks in 1 minute

An Ontario-based martial artist scripted a new Guinness World Record by performing 178 kicks in 60 seconds with the help of a pupil. 28-year-old Silvana Shamuon, who has achieved a Guinness World Record title in 2016 was joined by a student named Hannah Wright, 15, to shatter the record for the highest number of martial arts kicks (by a female pair) in one minute, UPI reported. As per The Record, the accomplishment was completed on September 12, 2021, at Bingemans, and the duo were formally acknowledged in October and were awarded in December.

Shamuon, who is called a Sifu or instructor, at the family-owned Shamuon Generation of Martial Arts in Waterloo and Hotshot Athletic in Cambridge said, “I am always looking at Guinness for ideas, and I saw that one and was like ‘Hmm, I think I could do this with Hannah.’ It was honestly just the luck of the search,” The Record reported. She went on to add that words have been inadequate to describe her admiration for Hannah.

Shamuon came up with the idea of the highest number of kicks in one minute

Silvana Shamuon is a Shaolin Kung-Fu Third Level Black Sash, had received the title in 2016 by kicking footballs off people's heads in one minute. Furthermore, the most recent record required Shamuon and Wright's team effort, while only one person was allowed to kick at a time and with a back-and-forth movement between them. A martial arts pad was carried at shoulder height by Ryan Wightman, a student of Shamuon Generation of Martial Arts, for the duo to strike it.

In addition to this, Shamuon came up with the concept in late 2019, with the intention of breaking the mark in the summer of 2020. However, the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020 had pushed back the deadline, while Wright's damaged foot extended the deadline even further to 2021. Due to various lockdowns, the duo was compelled to do a big proportion of their training online. They were able to exercise together numerous times prior to September 12, making Shamuon confident in their ability to succeed. 

Further, Hannah Wright, who is an Elora native and a student at St. Jude's/Scholars' Hall in Kitchener, is a champion of the world in the advanced junior black belt division. She also works at Shamuon Generation of Martial Arts and Hotshot Athletic as a Sijay (junior instructor), as per The Record.

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