From football to basketball: meet the man breaking records one backheel at a time
Do you have a favourite skill? What if that hobby earned you a Guinness World Records title?
That’s exactly what happened for Hamed Ali Al Shehhi (UAE). Through his love for football, he has secured multiple Guinness World Records titles, and took his latest one in Ras Al Khamiah, UAE on 14 March - the farthest backheel kick of a basketball into a basket, after making the ball travel an incredible 12 m (39.37 ft).
The 24-year-old football freestyle sensation has been developing his skills since he was a child and used to share clips of himself playing his sport on Instagram.
He told us: “I wanted to officially document and recognize one of my football skills, which I developed through my passion and dedication to the sport. My love for football is my true motivation, and I am proud to have the opportunity to represent the United Arab Emirates through this achievement.”
Despite being able to kick the ball far into the distance, one of the biggest challenges for Hamed was maintaining accuracy. No matter the difficulty, he was determined to break the record.
In recent years, Hamed has racked up a variety of titles thanks to his soccer skills. Some of his current titles include:
- Most football (soccer) bounces with the knee in one minute - 215
- Fastest 50 m performing football knee keep-ups - 10.50 seconds
- Most football touches with the knee in one minute whilst seated (male) - 211
- Farthest backheel kick of a football into a basket -12 m (39.37 ft)
Read about more records like this in our Sports and Fitness section.
Being an experienced record holder, Hamed explained: “I had already broken the record several times using both a football and a basketball before the official attempt. Before the official attempt, I was mainly looking for a court with official dimensions. None of my attempts lasted more than 30 minutes.
“It felt amazing to see the ball go through the basketball hoop.”
His determination to add to his growing collection of records is not stopping there! Hamed has begun training for more accolades and has plans to attempt the title for longest backheel kick of a football into a basket while blindfolded.
He added: “My goal is to achieve as many Guinness World Records titles as possible in football skills and to become the person who has broken the most records in football skills worldwide. At the same time, I want to help make the United Arab Emirates the country with the most Guinness World Records titles related to football skills.”
Hamed told us that GWR ICON Cristiano Ronaldo is one of his biggest role models. “Ronaldo’s determination to break records inspires me to challenge myself, push my limits, and pursue the same mindset,” he said.