An 11-year-old boy from South Africa has set a new Guinness World Record for the most splits performed in one minute, after watching a YouTube video, deciding on the spot he could match it, and then training for eight months to make it real.
Chaz Wildon claimed the male title with 47 splits in 60 seconds, breaking the previous record of 46 set by Muhammad Tahir of Pakistan. He attempted the record at his school in front of his classmates, and Guinness World Records confirmed the achievement this month.
The story starts with a YouTube clip. Chaz was watching record-breaking videos with his cousin Charlene Wolf when he came across footage of Liberty Barros, a young performer who at the time held the female record for most splits in one minute with 42. Chaz's reaction was immediate. According to his mother, Ariena, he tried it on the spot — and matched Barros's total of 42 splits on his first attempt, with no training at all.
"He immediately felt inspired and confident that he could do the same," Ariena told Guinness World Records. "Right there on the spot, he tried it himself and impressively matched her total of 42 splits."
That was the moment a casual living-room experiment turned into a goal. "From that moment, it became a clear goal he was fully committed to achieving and setting the record," Ariena said. The previous male record stood at 46, just out of reach. Chaz, then 11, decided he would close the gap.
For the next eight months, he trained. He has been studying acrobatic dance for the last year, which built up the flexibility, strength, and coordination needed to drop into a split, push back to standing, and repeat the cycle at speed. Acrobatic dance combines elements of gymnastics, contemporary dance, and partner work, and it has become one of the fastest-growing youth disciplines in South Africa.
The attempt itself took place in October 2025 on the stage at Chaz's school, in front of his classmates. Guinness rules for the category require the splits to be performed within a measured 60-second window, with each rep cleanly completed before the next begins. Chaz finished at 47, one ahead of the standing male mark.
"He was absolutely thrilled and overwhelmed with excitement," Ariena said. "It took a moment for it to sink in, as he could hardly believe that he had actually achieved something so remarkable." Now 12 and in grade 7, Chaz has already said he wants to break more records.
The female version of the title, meanwhile, has continued to climb. Liberty Barros — the performer whose video first inspired Chaz — has since been overtaken on the women's side by Pakistan's Fatima Naseem, who currently holds the female record with 47 splits in one minute. Both marks now sit at the same number, with the male and female top performers separated by less than a year and a few thousand miles.
For Chaz's family, the lesson runs beyond the record itself. "I am incredibly proud that he pursued this ambitious dream and achieved it with such outstanding success," Ariena said. "We're all so proud of him and we're glad that we've pulled through to make this work. He had a clear goal to set the record and achieved it."
Chaz, for his part, has been clear with his mother and his classmates that this is only the beginning. He intends to chase more Guinness titles, encouraged by the simple proof that the kid in the next viral video might be looking at his footage soon, deciding to try it on the spot — and starting an eight-month clock of their own.
