Australian circus artist smashes record by spinning in a Cyr wheel 3,399 times
Sometimes your head just has to spin a little – whether from excitement, or 3,399 spins in a Cyr wheel…
Sophie Bohlsen, a talented Australian circus artist, lasted an incredible 1 hour 3 seconds to win a Guinness World Records title for longest duration spinning in a Cyr wheel on 23 January.
Sophie said she first began training Cyr wheel in 2019, while attending the National Institute of Circus Arts (NICA) in Melbourne, Australia. Her dedication to sport and love for fun pushed her towards the discipline.
“Spinning around in a giant wheel, who wouldn’t want to do that?” she said. “But I also enjoy making sequences of skills and learning new tricks, even though it’s often quite scary.”
The idea to attempt the record came to her mind unexpectedly. Sophie said she had a silly conversation with her friend while driving, when they discussed what Guinness World Records titles previously existed for their circus specialties.
“When I saw the record was 40 minutes and 8 seconds, I thought I could probably do it,” she shared with us. “A few days later, I gave it a go and managed to spin for 45 minutes. So doing the attempt I was pretty confident I could do 45 minutes, anything over that was a bonus.”
Spinning for an hour straight was not all glamorous. Sophie said endurance training was demanding, and sometimes tedious.
“Honestly, spinning alone for over 40 minutes is quite boring,” she said. “So I switched between listening to music and podcasts to try and keep it interesting. For the official attempt, I even created a playlist of my favourite songs, mostly Lorde.”
Her training, however, prepared her well to counter the fatigue and dizziness. Sophie says she used interval training for more effectiveness, spinning in 15–20 minute intervals with short breaks in between.
“I only really struggle with dizziness or fatigue when I haven’t eaten enough or the weather is extremely hot,” Sophie explained. “To combat this, I ensured I ate well and drank plenty of water before my attempt.”
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Sophie also said the hardest part of the process was enduring the last 15 minutes of the attempt, when she pushed herself to keep going despite the obvious fatigue from repetitive movement.
“I was a bit apprehensive about the final 15 minutes,” Sophie told us, “but by then, you’ve got a rhythm, and you kind of just exist in the discomfort of the dizziness and spinning.”
The National Institute of Circus Arts (NICA) was of great help while preparing for the attempt. Sophie expressed her gratitude to her coach, Ludwig Schukin, her mentor, Marawa, and her friends, all of whom were supportive and motivating during an application process, and an attempt itself.
“I wouldn’t have done it without them encouraging me.” she shared, “Now I’m excited to try some of the other Cyr wheel records, so hopefully you’ll be seeing my name again!”