Filipino to break Guinness as the fastest backward Runner

By MORTZ C. ORTIGOZA

 Alfonso “Jojo” Bigay, a Filipino, will break on July 24 the Guinness World Record (GWR) of Germany's Roland Wegner as the fastest back runner in the world.

 GUINNESS. Jojo Bigay interviewed by the national
TV today for his bid next month as the fastest backward 

runner in the world at the Guinness World Record. Bigay 

thanks philanthropist Rosendo So and former Congressman

 Mark Cojuangco for the financial and moral support for his

 attempt for the glory of the country

Wegner has clocked at the Guinness 13.6 seconds in 100 meter retro running. Bigay, a native of Lingayen, Pangasinan, is positive to hurdle the German's prowess after several years of training.

"At present I hit already 13.2 seconds in 100 meters enough to beat the German's record".

Bigay used to be a track and field athlete of the province and a marathoner who competed in different parts of the country.

Press conference today called by Janice Hidalgo, PR woman of Bigay, at
Lennox Hotel in Dagupan City. Hidalgo was responsible in chalking up
the 2014 Guinness World Record of Bayambang town in Pangasinan
to have the longest grill with roasted fresh water fish in the world.

"People were amused noticing me when I competed in the 10 kilometres San Miguel Classic marathon in 1991 in Manila and 22 kilometres marathon in Manila again when I chose to run backward finishing the length we were competing," he stressed.

He said he discovered that he could run backward faster and comfortable than running forward.

"In forward running I could only clock 14 seconds in 100- meter dash. But in backward dash, I could hit 13.2 second that could even land the Philippines in Guinness".

According to recordholders.org the first backward runners in 100 meters were Czechoslovakian Vaclav Fisher with 18 seconds in 1972 held in Tokyo, Japan, New Zealander Paul Wilson with 14.4 seconds in September 1979, Ghanian Ferdi Ato Adoboe with 14.0 seconds on July 28, 1983 in Amherst, USA, Adoboe with 13. 6 seconds on July 25, 1991 held at Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts, USA, German Wegner with 13.6 seconds on August 4, 2007 in Horgau, Germany.

The Filipino challenger said he would break the record of Wegner on July 24 at the track and field of Urdaneta City.

VIDEO: Author and his son Jigger  test this morning the backward running mettle of
 Bigay (extreme left) by competing with him by running forward at the swanky world class track and field in Lingayen, Pangasinan.

Janice Hidalgo, the liaison officer of Bigay to the GWR, said that the Guinness’ management just gave the go signal for them last June 2 for Bigay to show his mettle on July 24.

“But on July 14 he will be having his medical examination, weighing, and other requirements that would be administered by a government physician before the D-Day in July 24 starts,” she explained in a press conference they called for Bigay at the Lennox Hotel in Dagupan City.

Hidalgo was the facilitator in 2014 of the GWR of Bayambang, Pangasinan for breaking the world’s longest grill’s record where fresh water fish were roasted at the town’s major road in a more than eight kilometres grill.

Bigay hailed philanthropist Rosendo So and former Congressman Mark Cojuangco for the financial and moral support for his attempt to claim the retro runner plaudit for the glory of the country.