Doha, Qatar: Omar Abdelkader, an Egyptian athlete who lost his leg in a shark attack seven years ago, has performed 161 repetitions of muscle-ups in one hour to break a Guinness World Record (LA1), an impairment classification that includes a single leg amputation above the knee.
Following the award, Abdelkader captioned a video of himself performing pull-ups in front of supporters: "I can't really put it into words, but this has been one of the toughest and sweetest journeys I've ever embarked."
"Thank you to everyone who helped make it happen, everyone who supported me in one way or another, and most importantly thank you for believing in me."
In a media interview, the ecstatic Abdelkader said he still can't believe of his achievement stating, "I will be honest with you, I never dreamt of reaching the figure I reached. I thought if I did 105 or 120 repetitions, that would be great, but thank God, on the day of the attempt and with the support and encouragement of those who were there, I managed to do 161 repetitions in one hour.”
He further added: "Around six or seven years ago, I had a turning point in my life, when I was attacked by a shark and because of this attack, my left leg was amputated from above the knee. It was difficult in the beginning because I had a mental challenge to get out of the state I was in, to overcome depression and to resume playing sports. This was very difficult in the beginning. But it was a turning point for me to learn how to improve my mental health through sports or any physical activity.”
