Many of Tonye Solomon’s compatriots questioned the veracity of his account when he claimed to have traveled 60 kilometres (37 mi) in Bayelsa State, Nigeria, while carrying a football on his head from Amassoma to Yenagoa.
Tonye made the decision to set a Guinness World Record for the most ladder steps climbed while holding a football on his head in order to disprove their claims.
Last month, he accomplished the baffling feat by ascending 150 stairs to the top of a 250-foot (76-metre) tall radio pole while deftly maintaining control of the ball on his head.
Tonye says he wanted to set this record to challenge himself and “inspire others to do great things.”
He spent two months training for it, using all his free time to practise until he was confident that he would not fail.
During the record attempt, Tonye was seemingly unfazed by the steep ascent, taking just 12 and a half minutes to complete the climb.
“I was astonished because it’s never been done by anyone before,” said Fish Jombo, a radio presenter who was part of the large crowd which gathered to watch the record attempt.
After climbing all 150 steps, Tonye threw the ball down and celebrated with a fist pump.
“It wasn’t easy,” he said. “I thank the Nigerian Civil Defense Bayelsa State Command for allowing me use their facility for this.”
