Posted by Elena Gruenitz, photo courtesy of Guinness World Records, Ernesto Gainza GUINNESS RECORDS BOOK PERFORMED 60 YEARS THIS YEAR. TO GET ON THE PAGES OF THIS WORLDWIDE KNOWN PUBLIC, MANY PEOPLE ARE SUBJECT TO THE MOST INCREDIBLE AND TIME EXTREME TESTS. SO WHAT IS THE ATTRACTIVENESS OF THIS ONE IN ITS KIND OF COLLECTION OF UNUSUAL ACHIEVEMENTS? WHY IS EVERYONE SO SEEKING TO RECEIVE A CERTIFIED CERTIFICATE? WHAT PLACE DOES THE UAE TAKE PLACE, AND DUBAI IN PARTICULAR IN THIS CLASSIFICATION, AND WHAT HAPPENS BEHIND THE SCENES OF THE GUINNESS RECORDS? GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS MARKETING MANAGER IN THE MIDDLE EAST OF LAYLA ISSA TOLD US ABOUT THIS AND MUCH MORE OTHER.
Leila, did Guinness World Records open a representative office in Dubai recently, in 2013?
Leila: That's right. After four offices in London, New York, Beijing and Tokyo, the Middle East line came up. This is due to the large number of potential champions from our region. We receive about 120 requests of the most various types per month, both from individuals and from firms, enterprises and even government agencies. Each request is checked by our employees, and if there is a potential and all the conditions for meeting the record criteria are met, then the application is taken into account.
So what are the criteria for selecting achievements?
Leila: First of all, the record should be measurable - time, dimensions, frequency, strength and other specific measures of measurement must be present in the achievement. The record should also be repeated and exceeded. If no one can beat him because of his too personal specifics, then this is no longer a record, but an anomaly.
Versatility is also important - the record should be understood by absolutely everyone, and not by a limited contingent of people. Controllability - if someone claims to be a person who has lived all his life without water, then we, unfortunately, cannot verify this fact. Objectivity is also very important. Subjective parameters, such as beauty or politeness, are not taken into account. "I am the cutest person in the world!" - this is not a record.
Dubai is world famous for its super-large-scale achievements - the tallest building in the world (Bourges Khalifa), the tallest hotel in the world (JW Marriot Marquis). Or the biggest fireworks on New Year's Eve 2014. It seems that all the local records are somehow related to the financial capabilities of the city ...
Leila: Dubai, of course, is famous for its modern, unique architecture. But not only. Many personal achievements of ordinary people were registered here.
Take, for example, Eva Clark, a resident of Dubai - a native of Australia, the mother of three children, in January 2014 she set a record for push-ups among women - 1206 times per hour. And a year later - a new achievement: 12,003 burpees (a complex exercise of push-ups combined with jumping - Note. Ed.) In 24 hours.
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE BOOK: 
Over 60 years, the Book changed its name three times:
Guinness World Records;
The Guinness Book of Records;
The Guinness Book of World Records.
Some records were deleted from the Book for ethical reasons, since the desire to repeat a particular achievement could be fraught with health consequences.
The book of records itself is a champion in the following categories:
- the best-selling book series in the world;
the most stolen book in bookstores;
the only book that is updated annually;
single publication, all information, i.e. each record in which is certified accordingly.
Currently, the UAE has 203 records, 146 of which belong to Dubai. Only the skyscraper Bourge Khalifa is the holder of seven records:
tallest structure and tallest building in the world;
the building with the largest number of floors;
the highest elevator in the world;
the highest restaurant (At.mosphere on the 122nd floor);
the highest apartment (108th floor, 385 meters);
the highest observation deck (555.7 meters).
In total, there are people who want to set this or that record about 1000 per week around the world.
Another, in my opinion, just a wonderful record was set by a 17-year-old autist named Johan Mendes, who in one minute named 52 capitals of various states. A great demonstration that there are no boundaries for our champions! By the way, that same New Year’s firework was broken 10 months later, in November 2014 in Norway, where the pyrotechnic show lasted an hour and a half, sending more than half a million rockets into the night sky.
Why are Guinness World Records so successful all over the world? What, in your opinion, drives people who are so eager to get to the pages of the publication?
Leila: For ordinary people, this is most likely a desire to achieve something special, to stand out from the masses and, to be honest, to amuse pride. For companies or large brands - this is certainly an excellent PR.
Tell me honestly, setting a Guinness record, can you make money on it?
Leila: Directly not, we do not pay participants for the set records. Moreover, we do not cover the costs of both graduate students and successful record holders, be it transport, equipment or materials necessary to establish a record. We are also not able to sponsor both private individuals and any organizations. Our goal and task, and there is no equal in the world in this organization of ours, is to honor the very best for their achievements, entertaining and, perhaps, even inspiring others. At the same time, we must maintain absolute objectivity and neutrality.
What is your favorite record?
Leila: It's hard to say, because each record has its own story, people who put their soul into this or that achievement. For example, Alain Robert - the French "Spider-Man", which four years ago in 6 hours climbed the Bourge Khalifa, and this year without any insurance and equipment - on the Cayan Tower, and in just 70 minutes!
Or here's another wonderful record: last year in honor of the celebration of National Day (National Day), representatives of 119 nations residing in the UAE sang the Emirates anthem. And these representatives of the nations were ... children! Indescribably wonderful feeling to see all these enthusiastic kids, representing if not all, then most of the countries of the world, singing the anthem of the state in whose territory they live - peacefully and without prejudice, as an example to us adults.
HISTORY OF CREATING A GUINNESS RECORD BOOK
One day in 1951, at a dinner arranged for local hunters, the main manager of the famous Guinness Irish brewery, Sir Hugh Beaver, argued with one of the guests that the golden plover is the fastest bird in Europe. He turned a lot of literature in search of confirmation of his theory, but not a single publication spoke of the fastest birds. It was here that Mr. Beaver came up with the brilliant idea of creating a kind of guide on the "very-most." And of course, the name of this directory should also include the name of his brewery. And so the Guinness Book of Records was born, the first copy of which was published in England on August 27, 1955 - a brilliant advertising stunt, which is included in all modern marketing textbooks.
Ernesto Gainza - Sky Champion
One of the most impressive and certainly the most dangerous Guinness records ever set in the world belongs to Ernesto Gainza (36) - a jump with the smallest parachute in the world measuring only 3.25 square meters. m, implemented in 2014 in Dubai. Elena Grunits, a correspondent for Russian Emirates, personally met with Ernesto to talk about this.
Ernesto, tell me how you came to parachuting? After all, you were planning a completely different career.
Ernesto Gainza: As often happens in life - by accident. In Venezuela, where I come from, I graduated from the law department, and then moved to England for a while to learn English. There, at the invitation of friends, I jumped with a parachute for the first time. And, like all beginners, my hands and feet trembled, I sweated and turned pale, falling out of the plane ... But when the parachute opened, I suddenly realized that it was mine and that I was ready to give all this strength and energy to this sport. That was in 2003. Many years have passed since then, even more jumps, competitions, tricks, countries. In 2011, I retired from sports and became a coach, continuing to take part in various shows and perform tricks.
Yes, they retired, but did not calm down and decided to set this life-threatening record - a jump with the smallest parachute in the world. Why? Are you still doing 6-7 jumps a day still lacking adrenaline and such adventures?
Ernesto Gainza: Not enough, and how! But this is not about adrenaline. This is a challenge to ourselves - not to stop there, go further and improve.
And also to solve complex problems, planning everything to the smallest detail. I like to plan. And not least, I was inspired by the achievements of skydiving gurus Luigi Cani, who set a similar record three times.
And a similar attempt by your American colleague, which cost him his life, did not make him abandon this idea?
Ernesto Gainza: Let's just say parachuting is certainly risky, like all types of extreme sports, especially when we are experimenting with something new. This American guy, unfortunately, did not have behind me the team that I have. I didn’t just take the dome, cut it to the minimum size and jumped.
This record is the result of the cooperation of a large number of people - primarily the Skydive Dubai team, without which this expensive project would never have taken place. In addition, numerous companies scattered around the world created unique equipment specifically for this experiment, such as an apparatus that monitored my condition during a free fall.
And in case of fainting, this device would activate a reserve parachute, saving my life. And of course, the creators of this mini-parachute made in New Zealand from special material helped me. In a word, it was a huge work of a large number of people, which reduced the possible risk, if not to zero, then to a minimum.
You yourself had to lose 6 kg ...
Ernesto Gainza: Yes, but this had nothing to do with the size of the parachute. Weight loss was necessary to achieve optimal fitness. Training and preparation for the jump itself lasted a whole year.
And then that day came ...
Ernesto Gainza: ... windy, so everything had to be postponed for an hour due to weather conditions. Not a very good start! But when we finally took off and were told that the wind had abated, we jumped. After all, I was not alone, but accompanied by three teammates, in case something happened ... It was really the first time that I used only the same "smallest" dome. Before that, during training, I always opened a second parachute for landing. But, as you see, it all ended happily.
What was your first thought when your feet touched the ground?
Ernesto Gainza: Of course, happiness, euphoria and complete confusion of feelings. I did not know to scream or cry for joy. But there was one “but”, and very few people know about it: I was slightly disappointed, because the wind did not turn out so spectacular and impressive as I hoped. Yes, a record in terms of the size of the dome, but not "felting" in beauty. The next day I jumped again, and only then did I land the way I wanted: beautifully and at high speed, with a “whistle”.
Ernesto, as you said, parachuting is risky, especially when limits are exceeded. How does your family feel about your profession?
Ernesto Gainza: My wife, who, by the way, works with me at Skydive Dubai, was at first worried, and even very much. But over time, having learned better both myself and my habit of calculating everything to the smallest detail and not risking it for no reason, she calmed down a bit.
RE: And your mother? Indeed, in your family, unfortunately, one tragedy has already happened ...
Ernesto Gainza: Yes, it is, my father died in an accident two weeks before my birth, and my mother was left alone with two children. She was both mother and father to us. Despite all the difficulties, she always supported and still supports me in everything and always, in my successes and failures, despite the riskiness of my profession and despite the distance dividing us, because she still lives in Venezuela. Strong, loving and most wonderful woman in the world!
R.E .: Ernesto, they even shot a documentary about you and your achievements under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the crown prince of Dubai.
Ernesto Gainza: Yes, the film is ready, called "Down to Earth", and I hope that soon we can see it at the box office. Taking this opportunity, I would like to once again thank His Highness for the support and interest in our sport.
How will you surprise us in the near future? Are you planning any new record?
Ernesto Gainza: Yes, I plan, but this is still the top secret. One thing I can say - a new record will be much more impressive than the smallest parachute!
