New Zealander makes 941 leaps off Auckland Bridge, smashing record for maximum bungee jumps in 24 hours

A New Zealander smashed the world record on Wednesday for the most bungee jumps in 24 hours after making a total of 941 leaps off Auckland Bridge. Mike Heard, 41, toppled the previous record of 765 jumps set by Frenchman Francois-Marie Dibon in Scotland last year.

Having started at 0700 local time on Tuesday (1800 GMT Monday), Heard passed Dibon's record in the early hours of Wednesday before powering on to set the new best mark, his support team told AFP.

"It certainly wasn't easy, and going into it, I knew it would be a massive challenge. The number of jumps we had to hit, added a whole new level of nerves to this attempt for me," Heard said. "But the record needed to be here, because bungee is a part of our DNA."

Heard, who lives in Auckland, was showered with blue confetti after his 941st and final leap just before 0700 local time on Wednesday. Bungee jumping is the extreme sport of leaping from a great height while connected to an elastic rope.

According to its website, the bungee jump at Auckland Bridge is 40 metres (131 feet) high. Before starting his record attempt, Heard said he steeled himself for the marathon challenge by adding ice baths and cold showers to his training regime. He had previously set the record in 2008 and 2017.

Heard said he was motivated to bring the record to New Zealand and raise money for a mental health charity. "It feels wrong to let this record be held by any country other than New Zealand and I want it back," he said before attempting the record.

Agence France-Presse