Circus artist Giang Quoc Co talked with Dan Tri/DTiNews about his and his brother's Guinness performance on December 22 when they climbed the stairs of the Cathedral of Girona in Spain with one sibling balanced atop the other using head-to-head contact.

Giang Quoc Co, 32, and his brother Giang Quoc Nghiep, 27, scaled 90 steps in 52 seconds, breaking the previous record of 25 steps in a minute by Tang Tao and Su Zengxian from China.

Talking about the success, Co said they were happy and proud.

Giang Quoc Co and Giang Quoc Nghiep scale the stairs of Girona Cathedral in Spain on December 22.

How do you feel to break a Guinness record?

There's no truer words than happy and proud to describe our feelings right now. We've never thought of it. The last steps are high and I felt like I couldn't raise my legs. I'm happy that we are able to bring some small achievement to Vietnam. This is also a chance for us to introduce our circus art to the world.

What made you travel to Spain to challenge this record?

We had a contract to perform in France, Spain and Germany that was signed a long time ago so we had to complete it.

Then after arriving in Spain, the director of a Spanish circus thought that we scaled the stairs so fast and light that they thought we had a chance to break the record set by two Chinese artists on September 10, 2014 in Xiamen City.

We were worried but we accepted the offer immediately because it was a rare chance to introduce our circus art to foreign audiences. We had to succeed at all costs. We can't fail.

Giang Quoc Co and Giang Quoc Nghiep breaks the Guinness World Record on December 22

Can you tell the difficulties of this performance?

The steps were uneven and the time limit was short. Quoc Nghiep was heavy on top of my head. Adding to that was the cold weather and pressure to win.

How many people from the Guinness World Records came and what did they use to record and monitor the performance?

They used stopwatch, camera and invited officials of the city come to supervise because Girona Cathedral is a famous location which has been used by many filmmakers. A huge number of people gathered to see us and this was also a pressure.

Most people couldn't believe their eyes. It's like a miracle and we are supermen. I want to make it clear that we haven't been officially registered yet. They have to recheck the previous record first.

How long did you train and did you have any difficulty?

We had never thought of breaking any records or having people from Guinness World Records to watch us so we were not prepared before going to Spain. I thought we could do it even better. It was extremely difficult on the first try. I couldn't raise my legs to reach the end of the stair and Quoc Nghiep couldn't move his neck at all.

Who have you shared this achievement with?

I want to share this joy with my family and co-workers. Without them as our mental support, we might not be able to do this. I also want to share this with everyone in Vietnam. We are proud that we can do so many things to make the world know more about us.

There are many opinions that circus performers have short career life and lots of hard works. Is that why you go to perform overseas?

Yes career life of a circus performer is short and hard work and they are not well known in Vietnam. But they are a favourite to many foreign audiences.

What is your plan for the future?

We'll return to Vietnam in February. Definitely we'll have more long-term plan after this but maybe three years later because we still have contract until 2019.