Kick-ass is the apt adjective to be used for M. Jayanth Reddy who has done Hyderabad and India proud by etching his name in the Guinness Book of World Records in August 31 this year, by executing 171 roundhouse kicks in one minute.
His eventful journey in the world of Martial Arts started in 1976 when Jayanth enrolled into the classes of traditional Karate. After four years of rigorous practice, he earned a Black Belt but Jayanth continued to explore other forms of Martial Arts. The Hyderabadi developed a penchant to deliver high kicks and Taekwondo became his calling card. Jayanth’s consistency helped him win medals in tournaments in India and abroad.
Interestingly, Jayanth also diversified his expertise in the field of yoga, acupressure and alternate therapies. “It is very important to keep your body and mind in sync. This can help you to channelise your thoughts in one direction, thereby yielding fantastic results,” the 48-year-old told this newspaper on Sunday.
Unlike many who dream of bagging the yellow metal in international meets as their ultimate goal, Jayanth aimed higher, much like his kicks. “I wanted to do something different and something extra,” Jayanth said.
The D-day arrived in August when Jayanth, a fifth Dan Taekwondo expert, scripted his way into the Guinness Books, executing 171 kicks in a minute. With this feat, Jayanth said he had erased all existing records in this category. “The previous record in the one-minute category was held by a British police officer Mark Scott (148) in November last year. Bernald Robinson went a step further, executing 159 kicks in the swift inner edge category but I eclipsed them,” Jayanth said.
On his practice schedule before going the big event, Jayanth said, “I went on a three-hour routine everyday. From February this year to August, I would have practiced close to three lakh kicks, about the same number I had done in my 33 years in this field.”
With the Presidential Sports Awards coming Jayanth’s way shortly, he wants to shatter a few more records. “I want to break the most number of kicks in an hour which is 5506 at the moment. It should be possible in the next 5-6 months time,” Jayanth announced.