Ryusei Yonee, running on all four limbs in a 100-meter sprint, sets a Guinness World Record in Yonago, Tottori Prefecture, on Sept. 24. (Jun Ueda and Takayuki Seino)

Photo/Illutration Quadrupedal runner Ryusei Yonee sets a Guiness World Record in Yonago, Tottori Prefecture, on Sept. 24. (Jun Ueda)

YONAGO, Tottori Prefecture--Inspired by the movements of monkeys and cats, a Japanese man set a Guinness World Record by running 100 meters on all fours in 14.55 seconds on Sept. 24.

Ryusei Yonee, 22, from Yonago, Tottori Prefecture, achieved the feat at a local stadium in front of Yonago Mayor Takashi Igi, many local residents and the Guinness World Records adjudicator.

He broke the previous record of 15.66 seconds set in the United States in 2022.

The quadrupedal runner stopped shortly after his first two starts, likely due to coordination issues. But he quickly found his stride on the third attempt and shattered the record.

Yonee let out a high-pitched scream when asked by reporters how he felt after the sprint.

“I feel like I’ve cemented my name in human history,” he said, smiling. “Now that I’ve become the fastest among humans, I want to train to the point where I can even beat animals.”

Yonee has been practicing quadrupedal running for about nine years.

He first became interested in running on his hands and feet in his second year of junior high school, when a science teacher said, “Animals that run on all fours are fast.”

Those words stuck with him.

“If I master four-legged running, I might even be able to beat overseas athletes in the 100 meters,” he said he thought at the time.

He was confident in his physical abilities, having played on the school soccer team.

He trained almost daily on a mountain trail to Yonago Castle and on local beaches.

On school days, he refined his “four-legged” running technique in the forest near his school during lunch breaks.

He also turned to the “pros” to learn how to propel his body forward more efficiently, studying monkeys at a zoo and observing how cats run.

FORMER CLASSMATES’ SUPPORT

Two years ago, Yonee wrote a letter to Mayor Igi, seeking support for his quest to set a Guinness World Record.

Although he had to postpone the attempt last year due to a lack of funds, things changed this year when his classmates from junior high school formed the “Support Team for Ryusei Yonee’s Challenge.”

“Since everyone supports me, I want to deliver an incredible run and set a world record,” he once said.

In August this year, he unofficially broke the record with a time of 15.53 seconds, raising expectations among residents in Yonago that he would eventually enter the record books.

Ko Hiroe, the 56-year-old head of the support group, said his son was Yonee’s classmate in junior high.

“In an era when people often focus only on profit and loss, it’s wonderful to see someone pursue what they truly want to do without worrying. I want to follow his example myself,” said Hiroe, who also serves as director of a local social welfare corporation.

At the stadium on Sept. 24, Yonee’s mother, Yuko, held a handmade fan that read, “GOGO Ryusei.”

She said she had a feeling from the morning that he would break the 15-second mark.

“This achievement was made thanks to everyone's support,” she said. “Ryusei just happened to be the one running as the representative of our support group. I have nothing but gratitude.”

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