Manchester students break world record for longest hug…and the world loves it!
WHEN two Manchester students came up with a novel way of raising money for a cancer charity, little did they know their heroics would become international news.
Friends Faisal Mohyud-Din and Mohammed Azeem succeeded in their mission to smash the Guinness World Record for the world’s longest ever hug to celebrate the opening of a new cancer centre by the Christie Hospital.
The duo, both from Salford University, hugged for an astonishing 24 hours and 17 minutes in Oldham – beating the previous holders’ record by over 16 minutes.
And it’s a world record that truly deserved world recognition.
Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton may be known as the most hated man in Hollywood, but even he admitted he was touched by the students’ heroic act.
Writing on his infamous blog, Hilton described Faisal and Mohammed’s record breaking attempt as “amazing.”
The duo also got a mention in the Washington Post and across newspapers in South Africa!
As a promising 100m sprinter with aspirations to compete in the 2012 Olympics, record-holder Faisal is more used to speeding down a track than feats of endurance. His current personal best is 10.46 seconds – a time which he expects to cut dramatically in the run-up to the London 2012 Olympics.
The epic hug-a-thon was inspired by the embrace logo of The Christie, Europe’s leading cancer centre. The record marks the opening of its new radiotherapy centre in Oldham – the first of its kind in the country.
Faisal said: “This was certainly a marathon rather than a sprint. I needed all my reserves of stamina to get through it, but I’m over the moon to have broken the record – hopefully the first of many!”
Alicia Custis, head of communications at The Christie, added: “Massive congratulations to Faisal and Azeem for the world record. They’ve done fantastically well and fought against sleep deprivation and muscle fatigue. I know it was incredibly hard work and I’m hugely grateful to them for doing this for the Christie. This is a hug for all our cancer patients.”
Vice-Chancellor Professor Martin Hall said: “Congratulations to Faisal and Mohammed for showing tremendous commitment and effort in aid of this good cause.”
