An archery master recently set a new Guinness Record by shooting seven consecutive arrows through a tiny keyhole using a traditional Ottoman bow.
Lars Andersen is often hailed as the world’s ultimate archer, performing feats that most us mere mortals can only dream about. He is the only person capable of shooting 10 arrows in just 4.9 seconds, he can shoot arrows that turn in mid-flight, and shoot while holding multiple arrows in his draw hand. Recently, Andersen added another feather to his already impressive cap by shooting seven consecutive arrows through a keyhole less than 10mm in size, thus setting a new Guinness record.
Photo: Lars Andersen/YouTube
The impressive feat was achieved back in June of this year, somewhere in Denmark. A YouTube video documenting the attempt shows the real-life Hawkeye kneeling in front of his target – a door with a keyhole smaller than 10mm in diameter – before unleashing a series of perfect shots. It’s unclear what the distance from the target is, and the Guinness page doesn’t specify that either, but I think it’s faith to say that the archer is at least 10 meters away from his tiny target.
The goal of this impressive record attempt was to shoot as many consecutive arrows through the keyhole. Featherless carbon arrows needed to be used, as regular ones wouldn’t have passed through the keyhole because of the feathers. As for the bow, Lars Andersen opted for a Şimşek Sipahi bow like the ones used by Ottoman soldiers hundreds of years ago. Unlike modern bows, this one doesn’t come with useful features like an arrow rest or a notch point.
57-year-old Lars Andersen casually shot seven consecutive arrows through the tiny keyhole at an almost insane pace. He hardly takes a break between shots, only lining up the bow before releasing his arrow and hurrying to grab another. It’s a truly impressive spectacle that fully justifies the claim that the Dane is a one-in-a-century archery master.
If you’d like to see more of Lars Andersen’s awe-inspiring archery achievements, you’ll be glad to know that he has a very active YouTube channel.
