Our Monday Motivation series on GuinnessWorldRecords.com profiles the inspiring stories of commitment, courage and dedication behind some of our most extraordinary titles. This week we're placing the spotlight on a young Puerto Rican gymnast who stopped at nothing to pursue his dream in becoming a record holder.
As a child, Joshua Velez was mesmerized by acrobats on television.
Being entranced by something was an unusual occurrence for the five year-old – even he admits: “I wasn’t the most easy-going child”.
But when it came to calisthenics that was a different story. He would sit, watch, and stare; eyes following the bends and turns of flexible bodies, scrutinizing every new twist and push they performed.
The young Puerto Rican boy from Motillo was unfocused; full of vitality and a need for constant activity. However when it came to gymnastics, Joshua's concentration was absolute.
His father saw this behaviour and concluded it was time for his son to apply his restlessness to a constructive interest.
“I guess my parents just wanted me to calm down. It wasn’t easy for them when I was a child. I was always inventing something or breaking it to make something new. I remember watching movies, and every time someone came up doing some acrobatic thing I wanted to be like them. I believe that was my triggering point and my father knew it, I think he could see it in me. So, he decided to take me to a local gymnastics club and that was the first time I tried a round off on a gymnastics mattress. To say I fell in love was an understatement.”
From that day, Joshua realised gymnastics was his happiness.
Even at such a young age, he comprehended the sport offered more fulfillment than just something to do each week at practice.
So for the next few years, Joshua immersed himself in the sport.
A combination of his love for running as well as his willingness to learn acrobatic gymnastics made him become well-rounded and proficient in the sport; as he grew older, he mastered disciplines like tumbling and trampoline, even receiving the opportunity to compete in Germany.
"I fell in love with the country and the sport even more. I met exceptional human beings. I went to some of the best places I've ever been. These kinds of experiences made me fall in love with traveling too. It made me see that sports, no matter which one you decide to practice, is an eye-opening experience."
With this newfound comprehension, the activity began to have a dual significance for Joshua.
It was not only an outlet for creative expression, but a means of self-empowerment and communication using a conscious connection to the body.
“Gymnastics has a wide range of disciplines,” says Joshua, “I quickly learned it’s about finding your inner strength, and about struggling to get where you want to be - that’s the beauty of it. It’s about convincing yourself that, yes, it can be painful to your body, back and neck, but getting things done is the priority, and the satisfaction that comes after, well nothing can beat that.”
After being involved with the sport for 21 years, the agile gymnast had his sights set on becoming better than ever before, and for Joshua, that meant according to world standards.
“Attempting a Guinness World Records title started as an idea and then turned into a dream. At first, it was so far away from me. I asked myself ‘How am I going to break a record?’ The ideas started flowing, and once I found my motivation, it was easy. I knew I wanted to try a record for gymnastics because they are very challenging, fun, and they test your will power - but I knew I could do it.”
So Joshua selected a record that would make a statement for both himself and men in the sport of gymnastics: Most forward walkovers in one minute.
The act required an extraordinary amount of flexibility without compromising on form and was a record that had previouslyonly been applied for by female claimants.
“A forward walkover is a common gymnastic element that involves a forward rotation, using the hands and the bending of the back to let your legs fall into a “bridge” position. This position is only done with your legs open, one feet reaching for the floor and the other is in a straight position pointing upward. Both feet must be pointed always when they are not on the floor.”
The young athlete was aware that it was uncommon for male gymnasts to endeavor this challenge, but that didn’t mean it was impossible.
He faced the pressure of beating the minimum set by the current record holder at 46, which would mean doing a new position almost every second during the attempt.
So he began to practice, knowing he would need a significant amount of stamina, technique and endurance to be able to pull the stunt off in such an acute time frame.
“When I first set out to try the record I thought, ‘well, it can’t be too difficult’ and I was so wrong. The first attempt was hard. I was so dizzy after the first 25 walkovers. Prior to the first attempt, I practiced in intervals of 30 seconds and 10 seconds, never the entire minute. Adrenaline plays an important role in this kind of exercise, so I trusted that after the first 30 seconds of adrenaline would play its part. After a few tries, I was exhausted and tired. When doing so many repetitions, keeping the technique and the straight line begins to be difficult. Your shoulders lose their line and strength, and you need to push.”
The attempt would served to be one of the most high-pressure sixty seconds of his life, not least because of a number of setbacks.
His first planned attempt was called off after it rained in the outdoor venue he had booked. A second attempt was also pulled, after it was decided the venue was too small to complete the amount of turns he needed to achieve in a single line.
But day three saw Joshua eventually take on the record.
“To the people who say ‘one minute records do not seem challenging, I would say ‘try to learn the periodic table in one minute’. Not enough time, right? Imagine doing 48 forward walkovers in a minute. That’s 60 seconds. I think is challenging enough. For some people one minute may not seem like a challenge, but trust me, it is.
“The pressure and tension starts to rise from the beginning of the minute. You lose the count. You lose the time notion. This is what makes this kind of records even harder, because time must be exact, no more, no less. You have just one minute to prove that you are strong and capable enough to beat a world record. If you conquer it, it means you are the only one in the entire world with that title. Sure, it’s hard, and only a few can take that challenge and actually take it home. I’m up for that any day.”
With this in mind, Joshua felt the need to do everything he could to perform his best in that single minute.
In order to avoid extreme dizziness and disorientation while flipping consecutively, he would need to align eight gym mats in a row to do a straight line.
“Imagine taking over eight heavy mattresses, carrying up a hill with them on top of your head. I’m so grateful with the people that helped me. It wasn’t easy, but they all said ‘yes’ without hesitation. It’s Puerto Rico, so you can imagine how hot it was. I was sweating like a fountain, and was tired from the first two failed attempts that day.”
His outlook of “never give up” repeated over and over again in his mind, knowing this could be the last chance he had to achieve the record.
“The last attempt, the one that got me the record, was the most high-stake. I started to doubt, but I wasn’t ready to give up. – ‘One more try’- that’s what I said to myself. And that was it. I made it.”
Upon making his final walkover, Joshua’s body was sore; it was drained, but it was flooded with overwhelming happiness, knowing he had broken the record with a total of 48 turns.
Joshua has come to thank his father for introducing him to his passion, and believing that he could succeed no matter the sport.
He also admires his idols, fellow record holders such as traveler Drew Binksy and Olympic gymnast Simone Biles.
“It’s a dream and a huge pleasure to be part of a selected group of people. My title is one of my precious possessions. I’m so proud of what I have accomplished throughout my life and this is the cherry on top. The feeling of having something so prestigious is addictive. I want more challenges and I want more records.”
Now Joshua has submitted three more applications for gymnastics records, hoping to add to his growing collection of impressive feats in the sport of gymnastics.
From his record-breaking experience, the ardent gymnast who once dreamed of making history in the sport he loves most hopes to inspire others with his achievement; encouraging those who hear his story to push their limits, and feel empowered in their own passions as he does.
“We constantly want more. I’m not talking about material stuff, at least, not in my case. But more in the sense of accomplishing new goals, to cross new lines, to experience new things like sports or food or places. Gymnastics is the representation of what life is. It’s though and challenging, but beautiful and rewarding. So, yeah, on that case, I think everybody is a “life gymnast”. Some of us just flip and do tricks.”
