Vacationer breaks poi weaving world record in Italy

March 7 (UPI) -- An Idaho man broke a Guinness World Record by spinning a set of poi balls 83 times in one minute.

David Rush, who has broken more than 200 Guinness records to promote STEM education, said he wanted to take on the record for most poi weaves in one minute while on vacation in Italy, and his first attempt was in front of the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Rush said his strings became tangled at the 56-second mark, ending the attempt, and some nearby police asked him to relocate.

The next attempt, at Le Cornglia in Cinco Terra, ended with 83 poi weaves in the one-minute time period, enough to break the previous record of 80.

Rush was surprised with his certificate for the record during an interview on NBC's Today show.