search person
close

2015 in World Records - December: Hundreds of Santas go surfing in Australia and Canadian bodybuilder smashes heaviest sumo deadlift

By Rachel Swatman
Published

Continuing our month-by-month look back over the past year of fantastic record-breaking feats, in December we saw a huge variety of Guinness World Records titles set all over the globe. Over 300 people dressed as Santa participated in the largest surfing lesson, a Canadian bodybuilder smashed the heaviest sumo deadlift, and Paralympic champion Matt Stutzman achieved the furthest accurate distance in archery title...
 
video
We celebrated some great gaming achievements in December, starting with Syndiate’s Call of Duty: Black Ops III breaking a record previously set by Halo 5: Live for the Most watched videogame launch broadcast.
 
 
 
The latest game’s UK launch event at London’s Mayfair One was broadcast live on social media and attracted 442,620 unique streams during its two-hour run.
 
READ MORE:Syndicate’s Call of Duty broadcast takes world record for a launch event
 
Then Adebayo “The Beast” Akinfenwa (UK) visited the Guinness World Records office in London where he was presented with an official certificate for his title Strongest player in the FIFA videogame series and challenged to come exciting record attempts with Lego® and Mr Potato Head.
 
video
 
READ MORE:Adebayo Akinfenwa – FIFA’s strongest player visits GWR HQ

We honoured another footballer with a record this month when Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy achieved the Most consecutive Games scored in the Premier League, scoring in an incredible total of 11 matches.
 

 
Vardy said: “I’m delighted to have broken the record”, and he has every chance of netting another title in the near future too…
 
READ MORE:Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy is presented with GWR certificate in honour of his record goal-scoring run
 
Two mega lessons took place in December, the first of which was hosted by boxing legend Floyd Mayweather Jr in Moscow, Russia.
 

WATCH THE FULL 2015 VIDEO ROUND UP HERE
 
Hundreds of fans became record breakers when they were taught by Mayweather in the Largest boxing lesson ever.
 

 
Official Guinness World Records adjudicator Sofia Greenacre was on hand to verify the record, as well as present the boxing champion with an honorary certificate for one of the most incredible records to his name.
 

 
READ MORE:Floyd Mayweather hosts largest boxing lesson and accepts certificate for being the highest earning athlete
 
From one boxing champion to another, Stephen “Steve” Ward (UK, b.12 August 1956) reclaimed his title as the Oldest living boxer at the impressive age of 59.
 
Steve fought Jody Meikle (24 years his Junior) in Chesterfield, UK, and although he lost the bout in the third round he definitely gave his youthful opponent a run for his money.
 

 
READ MORE:Steve Ward reclaims title as oldest active boxer aged 59
 
With ten days till Christmas, hundreds of Aussies showed us how they celebrate the occasion down under when gift retailer RedBalloon organised a successful attempt at the Largest surfing lesson – and invited everyone to dress up as Santa Claus.
 
video
 
READ MORE:Hundreds of Aussies dress as Santa to take part in largest surfing lesson
 
Another brand had reason to celebrate this month as Panasonic Corporation secured the record for Longest distance travelled by a vehicle on a railway rack powered by dry cell batteries.
 
The train was built by 13 students from Kawagoe Technical High School in Japan and it was powered solely by the electronics manufacturer’s Evolta batteries – 600 of them.
 

 
READ MORE:Panasonic Evolta battery smashes another record after powering train journey in Japan
 
Top Paralympic archer Matt Stutzman (USA) shot into the record books following a triumphant attempt at the Furthest accurate distance – men’s archery title.
 
The “Armless Archer” skilfully used his feet to hit a target from a distance of 283.47 m (930.04) at the TPC Craig Ranch, McKinney, Texas, USA, breaking a record that was previously held by an able-bodied person.
 
 
Copyright Getty Images for BP
 
READ MORE:Paralympic ‘Armless Archer’ Matt Stutzman hits long-distance target to score world record
 
6,958 pupils of GEMS Education celebrated the UAE 44th national day by forming the words “HAPPY NATIONAL DAY” to break the record title Largest human sentence in Dubai.
 

 
READ MORE:Pupils in Dubai set record for largest human sentence to celebrate UAE 44th national day
 
We were thrilled to confirm that strongman Greg Austin Doucette (Canada) smashed the world record for the Heaviest sumo deadlift in one minute with a staggering 9,130 kg (20,128 lb 3 oz) lift.
 
Greg said: “It feels absolutely amazing to have set a Guinness book world record. I have been dreaming about holding a Guinness record ever since I was given my first Guinness book when I was a kid.”
 
video
 
READ MORE:Watch Canadian bodybuilder destroy world record for heaviest sumo deadlift
 
Star Wars fever gripped the planet ahead of the release of The Force Awakens, and Cinépolis and Ping Solutions joined forces to promote the much-anticipated release of the new addition to the science fiction saga.
 
They created the Largest plastic cup pyramid ever, using more than 42,925 plastic commemorative cups featuring Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens designs.
 
video
 
READ MORE:Star Wars – The Force Awakens inspired plastic cup pyramid sets world record in Mexico
 
Check out more incredible Star Wars-related records here.

Happy Christmas from GWR!

 
Watch the full 2015 video round up in the player below
 
video