Athlete's most dangerous stunt yet as he hand-walks down 100 stairs at super speed

Nepalese athlete Hari Chandra Giri is turning the world of record breaking upside down… no, literally.

The talented 31-year-old has claimed his latest record with a dangerous stunt that most of us could only ever dream of completing unharmed.

In Yunyang, Chongqing, China, on 4 January, Hari clocked in the fastest time to descend 100 steps walking on hands with an unfathomably short time of 44.71 sec.

That’s over two stairs every second… on his hands… while he’s upside down!

Hari, who has been in the Nepal Army since 2014, said: “I’ve always wanted to push what’s possible with hand balancing in real-world settings. Stairs are harder than flat ground because of the angle and impact.

“China has some iconic staircases, so it felt like the right place to prove the concept. The goal was to show that handstand control can be precise, fast, and safe.

“[This is] high risk if you lose control. A fall down 100 steps on your head/neck/spine could be life-threatening. That’s why I used spotters, checked every step beforehand, and stopped if my hands slipped or shoulders fatigued.

“Never attempt this without training, medical support, and safety mats on landing.”

Amazing Hari first entered the record books in 2021 by performing the fastest time to descend 50 steps walking on hands in as time of 12.65 sec.

On the same day in 2022, he claimed the fastest 10 metres walking on hands with a football (soccer ball) between the legs  in 4.49 sec and the fastest 50 m walking on hands with a football (soccer ball) between the legs – 25.58 sec.

Not stopping there, Hari went on to break records for fastest time to descend 75 stairs on the hands (25.03 sec), most skips on an upright tyre in one minute (120) and fastest time to drink 500 ml of lemon juice (handstand) in 24 sec.

His upside-down walk down 100 stairs was arguably his most dangerous and impressive feat to date.

He spent six months training for it, doing handstands every day and walking on his hands until he could easily surpass 200 m in one go.

Hari also worked on his core and built strength in his wrists to avoid injury. He also did drills on stairs, doing lower sets of 50 and 75 steps to work on his landing control and shoulder stability.

And to make sure he was prepared for all eventualities, Hari also trained on wet and dry steps so the weather on the day didn’t matter.

After all that hard work, he admitted this new record is his favourite that he’s broken so far.

He said: “44.71 sec over 100 steps is the longest stair descent I’ve done on hands. The speed and control combo made it feel clean. It’s the record that best links my handstand work to real-world application.

“[This was also] the hardest, but not for physical reasons. The real challenge was logistic.”

Read about more amazing physical feats in our dedicated Sports and Fitness section.

Hari explained he had to overcome a language barrier, with him not speaking Chinese and no one on site speaking English, as well as internet restrictions which made it difficult for him to contact his team and even find his way to the staircase.

He said: “That’s why this record feels different. It tested problem-solving under pressure as much as it tested my shoulders.

“This record isn’t just about speed. It’s about showing kids in Nepal and around the world that discipline from hand balancing can translate into real strength and problem-solving. Train smart, respect the risk, and never skip the basics.”

Hari still has plenty of ideas for records he could attempt and is working on expanding his skills.