A Missouri man may have set a new Guinness record by pulling nails with his teeth during a powerlifting meet at the recent Show-Me State Games in Columbia.
"Strongman Steve" Schmidt, 58, of Franklin County might have beaten the world record for the fastest time in pulling nails from lumber with his teeth, according to a columbiatribune.com story.
During the July 19 meet, Schmidt's goal was to pull out five nails from a piece of wood in less than 22.21 seconds. He did it in about 17 seconds, but whether it's a record time is subject to review by Guinness World Records.
Schmidt also tried to establish a new record category: He tried to pull out 41 nails in one minute. He removed 26.
When asked why he does the unusual feats, Schmidt responded that it's unique.
Schmidt's hard-bitten feats have earned him two prior records. In 2010, he lifted 220.5 pounds 6 inches off the ground with his teeth 50 times. Last year, he topped that record by doing the same thing 61 times. Schmidt can also tear license plates in half and bend iron bars with his teeth. He's used them to pull railcars and tractor-trailer rigs and also bend horseshoes into an S shape.
Schmidt started trying feats of strength with his teeth about 12 years ago after reading about the teeth-lifting record in a Guinness book, according to the story. He hasn't damaged any of his teeth, he noted.
