A school teacher has demonstrated an extraordinary combination of speed and determination, setting a new Guinness World Record to inspire his students. Tom Dalton, a 31-year-old primary school teacher from Worcester, has been officially certified as the record holder for the fastest 100-meter crawl (male), completing the distance on his hands and knees in a blistering 39.70 seconds.
The record-breaking attempt, which took place on July 12, 2025, at the Nunnery Wood Sports Complex, saw Dalton cheered on by a crowd of friends, family, colleagues, and pupils from RGS The Grange, where he teaches. His feat easily surpassed the previous record of 55.40 seconds, held by Eamonn Hickson of Ireland since 2019.
Dalton, who had previously discovered his unusual crawling talent during a lockdown challenge, said he was confident he would beat the record but was shocked by the significant margin. “I am absolutely over the moon,” he said. “I was feeling quietly confident that I would scrape it, but not beat it by the margin I did.”
His motivation for the challenge was to send a powerful message to his students. Dalton told local media, “I wanted to show the kids that you can achieve anything if you put your mind to it. You don’t have to be a superstar athlete to break a world record; you just have to find what you’re good at and go for it.”
The new record holder, who had been training with his own children, has now received his official certificate and plans to display it proudly on his wall. He has also encouraged anyone considering a world record attempt to “just do it, go for it,” proving that an unconventional talent can lead to a truly remarkable achievement.
