The Cuban Erick Hernández set a new world record on Saturday by balancing a soccer ball on his head while sitting for one hour, 24 minutes, and 33 seconds, with a weight of one and a half kilograms on each ankle.
According to the official channel Cubavisión Internacional, the attempt took place in the Corona Room of the Meliá Cohíba Hotel in Havana and represents the second world record that Hernández has set in 2026.
With this mark, the Havana athlete surpassed his previous record in the same event, set on May 31, 2025, when he remained for one hour and 20 minutes under identical conditions.
The event has a history of progressive improvement among Cuban record holders. Hernández explained it in detail: "The record has a story. It was first achieved by Luis Carlos."
"At that time, he completed it in 27 minutes. Then, I surpassed him with 35 minutes. He went on to exceed that, reaching almost 40 minutes, and subsequently, I have been surpassing the 45-minute mark. I reached one hour, one hour and 5 minutes, and one hour and 20 minutes in the year 2025, and now that I am happily able to reach one hour and 24 minutes."
The category was initiated by the also Cuban Luis Carlos García, another Guinness multi-record holder specialized in ball control, with whom Hernández has shared a longstanding sports rivalry, progressively surpassing each other.
Regarding the technical difficulties of the attempt, Hernández was precise: "When you control the ball with your head, the momentum comes from the legs, as long as you are standing. Being seated is very difficult. You have to constantly flex and extend your torso while keeping the ball vertical, because if it goes anywhere—right, left, forward, or backward—it's very hard to defend."
The athlete himself summarized the challenge: "Of course, we need to factor in the duration of the record, but it fundamentally lies in that position, along with the weights on the ankles."
Hernández, born in Havana in 1966, has achieved more than 30 Guinness World Records since entering the book in 2005 with 319 head touches in one minute. In 2022, he raised that mark to 351 touches in the same time frame. In 2024, he set five records in a single year, including 12 hours, six minutes, and ten seconds of control using only his feet.
In April 2025, he kept the ball in the air for 10 hours, 13 minutes, and three seconds using his feet and head, and in August of that same year, he achieved 4,626 touches with his head on a Baseball Five in 35 minutes, at the Copacabana Hotel in Havana.
Known as "The Dominator", Hernández continues to expand his legacy as one of the Cuban athletes with the most presence in the Guinness World Records.
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