Nicknamed “Kabonga” and widely known as “strongman,” Egyptian wrestler Ashraf Mahrous is aiming for a world record after pulling a 700-ton (635,000kg) ship with his teeth.
Mahrous, 44, hauled the vessel across the water in the Red Sea resort city of Hurghada on Saturday. He then went on to pull two ships—together weighing roughly 1,150 tons (1,043,000kg)—towards each other.
“Today, I came to break the world record,” he said afterwards. “I pulled them both, thanks to God, to prove to my friends and the whole world that God blessed me by making me the strongest man in the world.”
The Ismailia native plans to send video and photographic evidence of the feat to Guinness World Records. The current record stands at a 614-ton (557,000kg) ship pull achieved in 2018.
In March, Mahrous pulled a 279-ton (253,105kg) train nearly 10 metres (33ft) using a rope clenched in his teeth—a feat officially recognised by Guinness as the heaviest rail pull. He also holds certificates for the heaviest locomotive pull and the fastest 100-metre road-vehicle pull. Three years earlier, he was recognised for pulling a 15,730kg truck with his teeth.
Mahrous said he prepared for Saturday’s challenge by training six hours a day and following a protein- and iron-rich diet that included at least a dozen eggs, two whole chickens, and 5kg of fish daily.
Standing 6ft 3in (1.9m) and weighing 155kg (341lbs), Mahrous says he realised his unusual strength early in life. He began lifting heavy objects for money at age nine and once accidentally broke a friend’s arm during play.
As he grew up, he immersed himself in sports, training in kung fu and kickboxing and later founding a wrestling team in Cairo. Friends who saw him flip massive tyres 10 times in a row and push a car with a single finger encouraged him to attempt world records.
Mahrous says his ambitions don’t stop here. He hopes to ask Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi for permission to pull a submarine—and dreams of one day pulling an aircraft using only his eyelid muscles.
He also believes that mentally connecting with whatever he pulls is crucial: “It’s important for me to treat the object as part of my body, moving with my heartbeat,” he said.
