42-year-old Indian martial artist Sidhu Kshetri has set a new Guinness World Record.
He continuously punched a punching bag for 55 hours and 15 minutes, beating the previous record by five minutes.
The extreme marathon required not only physical endurance from him, but also unprecedented mental fortitude.
According to the regulations, Kshetri was required to deliver at least one blow every two seconds.
He was entitled to a five-minute rest every hour, which could be combined to make longer breaks. However, even this did not make the task any easier.
The athlete admitted that the first signs of debilitating pain appeared after just 20 hours.
What helped him ignore the discomfort was his belief in his emotional stability.
The real test was the second night of the marathon. After 30 hours of continuous work without sleep, the body began to rebel.
It was incredibly difficult to get through this stage. The thought of giving up never even crossed my mind, but every hour that passed felt like an eternity, Kshetri admitted.
The support of his loved ones, as well as his personal attitude, helped him cope with the workload: he repeated to himself, “Hold on for another hour,” breaking the global goal into small stages.
The athlete has a quarter of a century of active martial arts training behind him. Kshetri trained eight hours a day, preparing for the record.
However, his motivation went beyond personal ambitions, as his dream was to inspire his compatriots and show that perseverance changes reality.
