Xie Junwu traveled 25.8 kilometers—16.03 miles—while balancing his wheelchair on its rear wheels. Guinness World Records confirms that he achieved the feat on May 12, 2012, at Fangzhou Primary School’s athletics track in Suzhou, China.
It was an extraordinary display of balance and endurance. But the record is only one part of his story. Source: Guinness World Records.
Learning a different way to move
A May 2026 profile published on The Paper’s contributor platform describes a life-changing fall during a geology-school internship in 1992. Xie sustained a spinal cord injury and relied heavily on his mother’s care during the following eight years.
After her death in 2000, learning to manage daily life became even more urgent. A gathering of wheelchair users in Qingdao in 2004 introduced him to someone who could balance on a wheelchair’s rear wheels.
That meeting opened a new possibility. Xie began practicing and later studied online videos to develop more advanced skills. Source: The Paper.
A record built on sustained balance
The 2012 achievement was a continuous wheelchair wheelie: maintaining rear-wheel balance while covering the distance.
The official Guinness entry names Xie, the school track and the date. Those details anchor a story that can otherwise become blurred as it travels through social media. Source: Guinness’s record listing.
From personal challenges to a team
The Paper’s profile also describes Xie leading a wheelchair running group in Nanchang. It traces the group’s beginnings to participation in a short fun-run event associated with the 2016 Nanchang International Marathon.
Working with the Nanchang Hope Home community, members share training, practical skills and encouragement. The account describes wheelchair users helping one another become more confident about taking part in activities beyond home. Source: The Paper’s community profile.
Another Guinness achievement in 2026
There is a newer chapter too.
Guinness records that Xie completed 74 manual wheelchair spins in one minute in Nanchang on May 31, 2026, setting the male record in that category.
The organization says his aim included drawing attention to wheelchair users’ mobility needs and promoting more accessible public spaces. Source: Guinness World Records.
The value of moving forward together
Xie’s sporting achievements make striking headlines. The community work adds another dimension: someone else can benefit from what he has learned.
His story brings together skill, practice, peer support and the need for accessible places. Each matters. A remarkable personal achievement can draw attention, while shared knowledge and better access help more people take part.
Image credits
These authentic city photographs show the locations connected with Xie’s records and community work. They do not depict Xie, his record attempts or his training group.
- Suzhou skyline, July 2024: A Chinese ID.
- Nanchang skyline: Akira CA.
Both images: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, resized for web display.