A high school student is flying the flag of Bahrain in the world record-breaking stakes thanks to his geographical prowess, quick typing and competitive spirit.
He has sensationally identified the national flags of all 197 countries across the globe in the fastest ever time recorded.
Bahraini Adam Saeed, who studies at the St Christopher’s School in Isa Town, managed to recognise all the flags in four minutes 24 seconds – 27 seconds faster than the previous record.
“I’ve always aspired to do something with my geography skills and this record was a perfect chance to show that,” the 16-year-old told the GDN.
His school added that they were very proud of the Year 11 student and his achievement.
Adam has been working on breaking the record since December last year, after having come across the ‘Fastest time for identifying all national flags’ record on the Guinness World Records website.
In addition to the record being a recall and geography test, for Adam, it was also a test of his typing speed.
By the time he attempted the record, his speed was around 75 words a minute – a feat achieved as a result of multiple practice runs every day.
The average typing speed ranges from 40 to 60 words per minute.
His fascination with flags started when he was just four years old, after putting together a 1,000-piece puzzle of the map of the world.
By the time he was five, he already knew all the flags – he just needed some time to bring his typing speed up to par.
“My favourite is Azerbaijan’s flag because I love the unique shades of blue and green – unlike any I have seen in other flags,” he added. “So far, I have travelled to 28 of the countries whose flags I had identified, but one day I hope to eventually visit every country in the world!”
Until travel restrictions ease up around the world, Adam will satisfy his inner ‘vexillophile’ – a flag enthusiast – by attempting more geography records.
In case the record is broken, he “definitely plans to defend it” or perhaps even break his own record himself!
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