Man tries to break world record by doing squats on the back of an elephant

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• published: 21 Jul 2015
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SHOTLIST 1. Various of elephant taking Ashrita Furman across showground at Northern Thailand camp 2. Various of Furman on top of elephant during record attempt ++some shots mute++ 3. Close-up of elephant's eye ++mute++ 4. Cutaway of cameramen on elephant's back ++mute++ 5. Furman during record attempt before he collapses UPSOUND: people cheering him on and clapping 6. Wide of audience clapping 7. Wide of Furman giving interview on the back of the elephant ++mute++ 8. SOUNDBITE: (English) Ashrita Furman, record breaker: "That's to me the real beauty of this record is that I've done it on the back of a live elephant. And I've had this dream of doing a record on an elephant for many many years but I had no way of really accomplishing it until I came to Thailand." 9. Various of Furman repeating squats for photographers STORYLINE: A New Yorker claims he achieved a new world record in Thailand on Thursday - doing the most squat thrusts in one minute on the back of an elephant. Ashrita Furman climbed onto the obliging elephant in Northern Thailand and powered through 40 squat thrusts. This, he says, breaks the previous record - set on firm, level ground - of 30 in one minute. The 52 year old from New York City undertook the challenge in the Thailand heat, on top of a forty year old female elephant named Kamee. He said he had always wanted to set a record on the back of an elephant, and coming to Thailand - where it is the national symbol - gave him the opportunity. "That's to me the real beauty of this record is that I've done it on the back of a live elephant. And I've had this dream of doing a record on an elephant for many many years but I had no way of really accomplishing it until I came to Thailand," Furman said. He said that the main difficulty during earlier practises was trying to keep the animal still. But come the moment - or minute - Kamee was solid as a rock. Furman is no stranger to laying claim to bizarre records. By his own count, he currently holds 54, and has held 144 records in total. Among these, he has the record for the fastest 11 metres on a space hopper, and the fastest mile balancing a pool cue on his finger. His claim to the record for the most squat thrusts on the back of an elephant in one minute will now be forwarded, along with witness statements, to the Guinness Book of World Records. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/1fedad6a43e140f7abe98cdc4bed86cf Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork