Man in Iron Man-like flying gear earned three Guinness World Record titles in one day.
Clad in Iron Man-like flying gear, Richard Browning of Gravity Industries earned three Guinness World Record titles in one day as he smashed three athletic challenges.
The British inventor has been making headlines for a few years already thanks to his jetsuit, winning the record for setting the first world record for human flight, which he beat two years later in 2019 as he achieved the fastest recorded speed of a human flying in a jetsuit: 136.891km/h.
Focus on speed
Browning is back at it, setting three new records on May 24 at the Southampton Athletics Centre in the UK: The 100m sprint, 400m hurdles, and the pole vault. His focus was on speed.
As Browning himself said in a World Guinness Record YouTube video, he's looking to "Reset the boundaries of human and machine capabilities." And he managed to do just that.
The rules of the two second races, 400m hurdles, and the pole vault, were stricter than in regular athletics competitions, given running or jumping don't really stand a decent chance against flying.
But even during the 100m sprint, Browning flying above the track was a sight for sore eyes. Starting off with this challenge, the race was over practically before it even started, and Browning and his jetsuit managed to smash the current world record for the race, achieving 7.69 seconds, flying at 56 km/h. Usain Bolt holds the running record of the sprint, at an impressive 9.58 seconds.
"In all respect to Usain Bolt, that felt pretty quick. I can only imagine running not that much slower is amazing," said Browning. No huffing or puffing for Browning at the end of the race.
In direct competition with an athlete
Next up was the 400m hurdle race, which Browning undertook in direct competition with an athlete who ran alongside him. In order to be eligible for the record, Browning had to make sure he lowered and lifted in the air above the hurdles, getting as close to the ground as possible.
This proved trickier for him, he said, but Browning still managed to win the race and break a world record. He achieved it in 42.06 seconds, beating the previous record-holder Kevin Young at 46.78 seconds.
Finally, the pole vault. Browning had to fly for 40m along the track, as any pole vaulter would have to do, before swooshing upwards along the poles for 6m and touch down on the mat on the other side. To beat this one, Browning had to manage it all in less than 15 seconds, which he did, earning him another record for his 13.09 seconds.
The entire project looked like fun, even though there's some scepticism in comparing human performance with that of a jetsuit. Regardless, these creations could prove extremely useful in many situations, from assisting Royal Marines to helping rescue paramedics in remote mountains, these jetsuits are easily deployable as they fit in just two suitcases, just like Browning's.