RIYADH – Tae Kwan Do black belt Ahmad Amin Bodla, 21, broke two Guinness World Records on Wednesday at the Fitness First gym on Olya road. The first record was for number of kicks in three minutes, breaking Indian master Sidhu Kshetri's world record of 620 kicks with 783 kicks with one leg. The second record was in the number of punches in one minute in the Wing Chun style of martial arts, breaking Australian master Mick Faber's 301 punches with 313. “I feel quite proud and happy that all this hard work has paid off,” said Bodla after breaking both records. There was a lot of pressure and a lot of hype, but despite all that, Alhamdulillah, I've broken the records,” he said. Bodla, who hails from Pakistan, has studied in Riyadh's King Saud University (KSU) and will be on his way to Pakistan next week. The decision to break the records in Riyadh, Ahmad said, was an ode to the time he spent here among students and professors at KSU. “It was my mission to create that memory here in Riyadh, because I've spent a good time here and when I look back, I want to look back at this moment,” he said. Bodla currently holds 18 Guinness World Records in various martial arts categories, including most full-contact Wing Chun-style punching strikes in two minutes, with 1,204 strikes, and fastest time to strike 100 martial arts punches, coming in at 7.66 seconds. The results of Wednesday's attempts were reviewed by a panel of judges present at the event, who confirmed Bodla's record, while the video footage will be sent to the Guinness World Records to officially tally the results and publish them within the next two months. Ahmad's father, Zia Ullah Anjum Bodla, was present at the event, cheering his son on along with friends and family members. “I'm humbled and I bow my head before Allah Almighty because without his blessing and kindness, no achievement can ever be made,” he said. Bodla first became interested in martial arts when he was 17, as his father recalls: “I was deployed operationally in a far-flung area near Lahore, and Ahmad met an army soldier who was an expert black belt in martial arts. From him, he was inspired to follow this path.” Bodla's journey through martial arts was challenged by a childhood struggle with asthma, his father said: “Incidentally, Ahmad was very slim and weak and I never thought he would become so strong, but because of his personal dedication and zest, Masha'a Allah, he has been able to achieve this standard.” On entering the demonstrative and performance side of martial arts, Bodla said: “Five years ago, I started training as a beginner, when I was 17 years old. The main thing was getting the black belt.” But Bodla said the black belt was not enough of an achievement for him, and while seeking out other challenges he came across the increasingly popular field of martial arts demonstration. “I saw a video of a Spanish master breaking a world kicking record in one minute, and I thought ‘I'm going for this record.' “When I told people that I'm going to break this record, they used to laugh at me. “Today, Alhamdulillah I have 18 world records.” Bodla said he will continue to seek world records with the help of the global leader in the field, Guinness World Records, and the support of his family and friends.
