British jet suit inventor breaks three track-inspired world records

May 25 (UPI) -- The British inventor of a flying jet suit broke three Guinness World Records at a speed event hosted by the record-keeping organization.

Guinness said it put Richard Browning's jet suit, which he previously used to set the world record for fastest speed in a body-controlled, jet-engine-powered suit, to the test with a "jet suit triathlon" at the Anker Speed Challenge event at the Southampton Athletics Center in England.

Browning's first event involved setting a record for fastest 100 meter dash in a body-controlled, jet-engine-powered suit, finishing in 7.69 seconds. He unofficially beat Usain Bolt's analog 100 meter time of 9.58 seconds.

Browning next took on the record for fastest 400 meter hurdles in a body-controlled, jet-engine-powered suit, which required him to clear each hurdle in a definite up-and-down motion. He finished with a time of 42.06 seconds -- beating the unassisted human version of the record, which stands at 46.87 seconds.

The final challenge was inspired by the pole vaulting event: fastest time to clear an elevated crossbar in a body-controlled, jet-engine-powered suit. The bar was set at 20.3 feet -- .39 inches higher than the world record for highest pole vault. Browning set the record with a time of 13.09 seconds.

"A couple of years ago we set the speed record in this equipment, and in fact that was beating a record we'd set with Guinness World Records a few years before then. Speed is a core ingredient of what we do here, and it's a pleasure to come along and set more records," Browning told Guinness.