Egyptian wrestler pulls ships with his teeth

AN Egyptian wrestler is hoping he has set a world record after pulling a 700-tonne ship with his teeth.

Ashraf Mahrous, aged 44, pulled it across the water in Egypt’s Red Sea resort of Hurghada last Saturday, according to the United Press International (UPI).

Mahrous, nicknamed ‘Kabonga’ and known to Egyptians as ‘strongman’, later pulled two ships weighing about 1,150 tonnes together.

Mahrous said after achieving the feat: “Today, I have come to break the world record. I pulled them both, thanks to God, to prove to my friends and the whole world that God blessed me by being the strongest man in the world.”

The wrestler, from the port city of Ismalia, said he would send videos and photos of his attempt to Guinness World Records to see if he has set a new mark, as the current record is a 614-tonne ship set in 2018.

In March, Mahrous pulled a train weighing 279 tonnes with a rope in his teeth for nearly 10 metres  and was formally recognised by Guinness World Records for the heaviest rail pull, along with certificates for the heaviest locomotive pull and for the fastest 100-metre road vehicle pull.

Three years earlier, he was recognised for pulling a truck with his teeth.

He built up his strength for the Saturday’s challenge by training six hours a day while eating a protein and iron-rich diet, featuring at least a dozen eggs, two whole chickens, and 5kg of fish.

Mahrous, who stands six feet three inches tall and weighs 155 kilogrammes, said his strength emerged early and began lifting items for money when he was nine years old.

He once accidentally broke a friend’s arm when he tried to pull him as they played.

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Growing up, he loved sports and trained in kung fu, kickboxing and set up a wrestling team in Cairo, the Egyptian capital.

Friends who saw him easily flip giant tyres 10 times in a row in a deserted courtyard at their gym, and push a car using only a finger, persuaded him to go for a world record.

He said his next plan is to ask Egypt’s president, Abdul Fattah al Sisi, for permission to pull a submarine and one day, he wants to pull a plane using only his eyelid muscles.

Mahrous believes that speaking with the object he pulls beforehand helps him establish a connection and is key to his success.

“It’s important for me to treat the object that I will pull as part of my body that moves along with my heartbeat,” he said.