Vietnamese acrobatic brothers set another world record

Guinness World Records has just announced recognition of the head-balancing act performed by Vietnamese circus artists and brothers, Giang Quoc Co and Giang Quoc Nghiep, as a new world record.

The Giang Brothers have set another world record with their performance of head-balancing in Italy. (Photo: Quoc Co Quoc Nghiep’s Facebook)

To earn the recognition, the Giang Brothers came to Rome, Italy, in November to perform their act. They finished the act, walking up and down 10 steps, while blindfolded, in just 53.97 seconds.

The pair revealed that there were also nearly 30 performances by many other artists from around the world that also attempted to break Guinness World Records this time.

“Our performance was recorded by an Italian television station in mid-November which also holds the copyright of the programme. The organisation announced our success in establishing a new world record right after that but due to the confidentiality of the programme before it was aired, we had to wait before sharing our happiness,” Co said.

Earlier, in 2016, the brothers broke the world record for the most consecutive stairs climbed while balancing a person on the head in Girona, Spain after scaling 90 stairs of Saint Mary’s Cathedral in 52 seconds, with Nghiep balancing atop of Co using only their heads, breaking the world record that had been previously held by Chinese artists.

They finished the act, walking up and down 10 steps, while blindfolded, in just 53.97 seconds.

Co, born in 1984, was awarded the title of Meritorious Artist when he was 28 years old while his young brother, Nghiep, born in 1989, was granted the same title when he was 26 years old, making them the youngest artists ever to receive the title in Vietnam.

While they have performed in many countries since, their first claim to global fame came in 2016, when they set a new Guinness World Record ‘for the most stairs climbed while balancing a person on the head,’ easily beating the previous record of 26 stairs in a minute set by Chinese couple Tang Tao and Su Zengxian in 2014. Nghiep and Co climbed 90 stairs in 52 seconds at the Cathedral of Girona in Spain.

Giang brothers, shone in this year’s Britain’s Got Talent finals on June 3, performing a daring leap that they had never completed without a safety harness.

The brothers took park in Britain’s Got Talent this year and impressed both the judges and audience with their death-defying head-balancing act. They finished fifth in the live final.

The Britain’s Got Talent judges were dazzled as finalists the Giang Brothers performed a daring leap that they had never completed without a safety harness before the final.

The impressive performance from Giang Quoc Co and Giang Quoc Nghiep made viewers breathless and then put them on their feet applauding.

During Sunday night’s final the brothers stepped it up a notch. As the audience gasped, the acrobat jumped from a step on to a platform with his brother on his head.

Although not winning the show, the performance was a hit for British audiences watching on ITV.

'20 YEARS'

This “incredible” walk up and down a staircase in the head to head position is the result of rigorous training for six to eight hours everyday for almost 20 years, the brothers said.

“We are passionate about circus,” said Nghiep who balances on the top, and his older brother, Co, in an interview with VnExpress. Coming from a family with a circus tradition, the brothers started training when Nghiep was just 11.

It was their father, a circus artist himself, who inspired them to follow this path. But he didn’t make it easy for his sons. He made them study and train for most of the day, leaving no time for outings with friends. But the brothers appreciate their father’s strict routine, which helped them bond and establish complete trust, which is vital in life-death performances.

“We are lucky to have a father like him,” Nghiep said.

For Co, the tough training schedule didn’t seem to be enough at times, as he occasionally slept with his head on the floor and feet against the wall. “We think about the act even in our sleep,” the older brother said.

That didn’t, however, prevent life and death situations from happening. The thrilling act has cost Nghiep three serious injuries. In 2009, when the duo were performing in Taiwan, Co missed a step and fell, causing his brother balancing on top to hit the floor in front of an audience of thousands. Co panicked as his brother lied there motionless. Nghiep’s spine was heavily damaged and he was hospitalized for two weeks, but the brothers had to continue their performance as they could not afford to break the contract.

“The most painful thing is that I was the one who caused the accident to my brother,” Co said. There were times when he doubted himself and almost gave up the life-threatening career.

The accidents are painful memories but Nghiep considers them an inevitable part of the job, and there is no success without difficulties. “I've never ever thought of blaming my brother,” he said.

“As I balance atop his head, I worry of nothing and trust him with my life,” Nghiep said./.

VNF