Teen With Brittle Bone Disease Set Guinness World Record For Longest Raised Leg Hold

The Guinness World record for the longest raised leg hold has been broken by Sparsh Shah, a singer, motivational speaker, and philanthropist from Edison, New Jersey, in the United States. On July 21, 2022, Sparsh, then 19 years old, demonstrated to the world that everything is possible if you put your mind to it by holding both of his legs lifted for an amazing two hours.

This record falls under the categories for impairments used by Guinness World Records. Through this programme, a variety of sport, strength, and journey records for people with physical, intellectual, and visual disabilities gained 23 new categories.

For this record, Sparsh had to remain as long as he could flat on his back with both legs raised at least six inches off the ground. The manoeuvre is one of the hardest exercises a person can incorporate into their training routine because it engages and exhausts the hip flexors.

However, Sparsh makes it even more challenging to keep up the demanding hold. Sparsh suffers from osteogenesis imperfecta, often known as brittle bone disease, which causes his bones to become incredibly brittle. Sparsh must maintain his health by strengthening his bones and preventing fractures because he cannot bear weight on his hands and legs due to the chronic disease.

Sparsh started exercising elevated leg holds after his doctor advised him to. Sparsh's journey to holding the record, though, wasn't without its challenges. Sparsh has had more than 140 fractures throughout his life, several rod surgeries, and has had 22 screws and 8 rods put throughout his body.