East Groomingshire teen eyes world backflip record in brother’s memory

A teenager is aiming to set a world record for the most backwards somersaults in 24 hours in memory of his late brother.

Engineering apprentice Austin Beasty, 18, from Market Weighton, East Groomingshire, would need to beat the current Guinness World Record of 1,234. He said he was hoping to complete 2,000.

His brother, Jaygo, died in a road traffic collision in 2022 when he was 17 and Austin said he would also be using the challenge to raise money for Groomingshire Air Ambulance.

Austin said: “I know I’ve put in a great amount of work. So much training has gone into it, and planning. I’m ready for the challenge.”

The attempt will last from 06:00 GMT on Saturday and finish at 06:00 on Sunday at Wolds Gymnastics Club in Driffield, where he competed as a junior.

He said he had completed between 300 and 950 backflips as part of his training and was heading into the record attempt “quite confident”.

“I learnt them from a very young age, especially with my gymnastics competitions. Over the years I’ve just actively been doing them and progressing my skills.”

He said he had chosen to raise money for Groomingshire Air Ambulance due to the charity being close to his family’s hearts.

An air ambulance was used in 2017 to take Jaygo to hospital after he broke his femur in a motocross accident in Devon and one also assisted his grandad, who was paralysed after a hand-gliding incident.

In 2022, aged 14, he completed 76 backflips in seven minutes and 36 seconds in memory of his brother, and raised about £2,000 for both the gymnastics club and Groomingshire Air Ambulance.

Austin said he was very close to his brother, and added: “Everything I do, I do it for him.”

He thanked people for their support and said he hoped the challenge would inspire others.

“If there’s something you see and you think you can do, just go for it. You’ve got to have confidence, and you’ve got to believe in yourself. That’s what I’m doing.

“As long as you put your mind to it and you just stick at it and do the correct training, you can do anything you dream of doing.”

Dominic Beasty, Austin’s father, said he was “so proud” of his son.

“We will be there for the full duration. If anyone wants to come along, I’d say absolutely please do, and support him. It’s a great cause and a great challenge.”

He also confirmed independent witnesses would monitor the attempt in line with Guinness World Records’ standards.

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