Most of us will have a healthy amount of sibling rivalry with our brothers and sisters, with points of contention usually being things like who’s funnier or who’s the favourite.
However, Elliot Shimmin (UK) decided to try and match his younger brother, Harry Shimmin (UK), in a slightly more unusual way – with skydiving.
Jumping out of a plane at 1300+ ft is a terrifying enough thought for most people, but not only was 23-year-old Harry not fazed by this – but he also wanted to break a record while free-falling through the air.
Harry decided to attempt the most backwards somersaults in a sky dive in May 2017, in Peterborough, UK, successfully completing 19 before he had to deploy his parachute.
Harry attempted the record because he’d always wanted to hold the record, training for a year in preparation.
"I’ve been able to backflip since I was very young. I wanted to be the person who’s done the most in one [skydive]," Harry Shimmin.
Not to be outdone by his younger brother, Elliot decided to also attempt a skydiving record, this time for the most somersaults in a sky dive.
"I decided to break it [the record] because my younger brother set the record for the most backward somersaults in a skydive," Elliot Shimmin.
His attempt took place in Lake Elsinore, California, USA, in April 2019.
The attempt came about as Elliot was part of a British Army adventurous training expedition that saw him and 30 others fly out to Lake Elsinore to take part in two weeks of skydiving.
Elliot saw this as his golden opportunity to attempt the record.
He successfully achieved the record, and amazingly, managed 19 – the exact same number of somersaults as his brother.
Perhaps next time they could work together to break a tandem skydive record?
What will your adventure be?
Feeling inspired to attempt a Guinness World Records title yourself after reading about the daredevil Shimmin brothers? Discover your Spirit of Adventure by finding out more about GWR Day, including how you can get involved on the day itself (Thursday 14 November). We realise everyone’s adventure is different (and not everyone wants to jump out of a plane!), so whether it's taking on a new challenge, fulfiling a desire for adrenaline or perfecting your existing skills – there's a record waiting for you.
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