An Egyptian strongman has drawn global attention after setting a Guinness World Record by pulling a 720-tonne ship using only his teeth. The feat, performed by Ashraf Mahrous Sulaiman in Hurghada, highlights an unusual intersection of human strength and biomechanics. While the act appears to rely on dental strength alone, human teeth are not designed for sustained tensile loading, making the feat medically counterintuitive. In reality, medical analysis shows that it involves coordinated muscle activity, controlled conditions, and specific physical adaptations.
Ashraf Mahrous Sulaiman, popularly known as “Kabonga,” is an Egyptian wrestler and professional strongman known for performing extreme strength-based feats. He has previously pulled heavy vehicles such as trucks and trains, demonstrating long-term physical conditioning and training.
Mahrous set a Guinness World Record by pulling a ship weighing approximately 720 tonnes using only his teeth. This marks the heaviest vessel ever moved in this way, making it an unusual case study in applied human biomechanics.
Mahrous stated during an interview at Egypt’s Red Sea resort following the challenge,
Today, I have come to break the world record.
Ashraf Mahrous Sulaiman
After successfully pulling the 700-ton ship, the 44-year-old from the port city of Ismailia went on to pull two vessels with a combined weight of around 1,150 tonnes, further demonstrating his physical capability.
According to New York Post, Mahrous stated that the existing Guinness World Record stands at 614 tonnes, set in 2018. He plans to submit video and photographic evidence of his attempt to Guinness World Records for official verification.
In earlier years, he had pulled a 4,000-tonne ship using a rope secured to his shoulders, but in this attempt, he relied solely on his teeth.
He told The Associated Press recently at his gym in Cairo,
I grunted and yelled as I pulled the ship, and I spoke to it, saying, 'It’s either me or you today.'
Ashraf Mahrous Sulaiman
The record attempt was performed on September 27, 2025, in Hurghada, a coastal city in Egypt along the Red Sea. The achievement was later verified and reported globally in 2026.
Mahrous used a rope attached to the ship and held it firmly between his teeth. He then moved forward slowly, generating force through coordinated muscle activity. While the teeth act as the contact point, the actual force comes from the legs, back, and core muscles.
Because the ship was in water, resistance was significantly lower compared to land. This reduced friction allowed gradual movement despite the ship’s large mass.
Human teeth are structurally adapted for compressive forces, such as biting and chewing, rather than sustained tensile forces. The periodontal ligament (PDL), a specialized connective tissue between the tooth and alveolar bone, plays a key role in absorbing and distributing mechanical stress. However, its tolerance is limited. Excessive tensile stress can lead to:
Tooth avulsion
Microdamage to ligament fibers
Alveolar bone strain
Average human bite force ranges between 500–700 Newtons in molar regions, far below the forces implied in such extreme feats. ¹
Finite element analyses further demonstrate that stress concentration increases significantly when forces are applied in non-physiological directions, such as pulling rather than biting.1
From an oral and maxillofacial standpoint, using teeth as load-bearing structures carries a high risk of injury. Clinical literature on dental trauma shows that forces exceeding physiological limits can result in enamel fractures, pulp damage, and periodontal injury.
Similar injury patterns are observed in:
Opening bottles with teeth
Performing “teeth lifting” or pulling stunts
Additionally, sustained mechanical tension can alter cellular activity within the PDL, potentially affecting tissue integrity over time.2
The act is biomechanically plausible when analyzed as a whole-body activity rather than a dental task. The teeth function as a force transmission point, while the actual force is generated by:
Lower limb muscles initiating forward motion
Core muscles stabilizing the trunk
Neck muscles maintaining jaw alignment
The PDL helps distribute this transmitted force across multiple teeth, reducing localised stress.3
Importantly, the ship is in water, where resistance is much lower than on land. Once initial inertia is overcome, continuous low-velocity movement becomes possible with sustained force.
Several factors reduce the likelihood of acute dental failure:
Use of a mouthguard to distribute load evenly
Engagement of multiple teeth rather than a single contact point
Gradual conditioning of musculoskeletal and periodontal structures
The viscoelastic nature of the PDL allows temporary deformation under load, which may help prevent immediate structural damage when forces are applied in a controlled manner.4
Such feats may encourage imitation, especially in the context of viral challenges. However, teeth are not designed for sustained tensile loading. Attempting similar activities without training can lead to serious dental and maxillofacial injuries, including irreversible damage.
Teeth do not “pull” heavy objects. They act as a force interface while the body generates the actual mechanical work.
This record demonstrates that extreme physical feats depend on coordinated biomechanics rather than isolated strength of a single structure. While the teeth serve as the interface, the outcome relies on the integration of musculoskeletal force generation, tissue adaptability, and environmental factors.
1. Chai, H., J. J. Lee, P. J. Constantino, P. W. Lucas, and B. R. Lawn. 2009. “Remarkable Resilience of Teeth.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 106 (18): 7289–93.
2. Sun, C., M. Janjic Rankovic, M. Folwaczny, S. Otto, A. Wichelhaus, and U. Baumert. 2021. “Effect of Tension on Human Periodontal Ligament Cells: Systematic Review and Network Analysis.” Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology 9: 695053.
3. Saiyed, Wajid, and Urvi Rangrej. 2023. “Periodontal Ligament as a Bite Force Distributor.” International Journal of Science and Research.
4. Wu, Bin, et al. 2018. “Tensile Testing of the Mechanical Behavior of the Human Periodontal Ligament.” BioMedical Engineering OnLine.
(Rh/SS/MSM)
