When Tonye Solomon from Nigeria’s southern state of Bayelsa told his friends he had walked 60 kilometres with a ball balanced on his head, no one believed him.
Irked that such an incredible feat was easily waved off, Tonye set out to prove himself on the world’s biggest record stage by setting a Guinness World Record for the most steps climbed on a ladder while balancing a football on the head.
GWR announced on Wednesday that Solomon accomplished this by climbing 150 steps to the top of a 250-foot (76-metre) tall radio mast while expertly keeping control of the ball atop his head.
Tonye told GWR he wanted to set this record to challenge himself and inspire others to do great things.
He spent two months training for it, using all his free time to practice until he was confident that he would not fail.
In a video shared by GWR, Tonye ascends the mast with ease, taking just 12 and a half minutes to complete the climb.
After climbing all 150 steps, Tonye threw the ball down and celebrated with a fist pump.
"It wasn't easy," he said. "I thank the Nigerian Civil Defence Bayelsa State Command for allowing me to use their facility for this."
Tonye is part of the Chukwuebuka Freestyle Academy, run by Chukwuebuka Ezugha, which has produced several record-breaking talents such as Kid Eche, Vincent Okezie, Victor Richard Kipo, and Confidence Kipo.
"I was astonished because it's never been done by anyone before," said Fish Jombo, a radio presenter who was part of the large crowd that gathered to watch the record attempt, according to the Guinness World Record.
Solomon joins the growing list of Nigerians and Africans who have done incredible feats and marked their names forever in the Guiness Book of World Records.
