Australian sets Guinness World Record for loudest shout

Joseph McGrail-Bateup, a 58-year-old air conditioner cleaner from Canberra, Australia, has officially claimed the Guinness World Record for the loudest shout. He achieved this feat by yelling the word "now" with an astonishing volume of 122.4 decibels, a sound comparable to a jet aircraft taking off or a close-range ambulance siren.

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There is no way to actually practice for it. You just have to save it for the day, especially for a world record attempt.

The record was officially recognized on June 19, surpassing the previous mark of 121.7 decibels set in 1994 by Annalisa Flanagan, a teacher from Northern Ireland who shouted "silence." McGrail-Bateup's record-breaking shout was recorded on May 2 in a Canberra radio studio by a professional sound engineer, with witnesses present.

McGrail-Bateup, who began "professionally" shouting in 2017 as an official herald for Canberra, experimented with several words before settling on "now" for his record attempt. He admitted that practicing for such a record is impossible, stating, "You just have to save it for the day." He also revealed that it took him seven attempts to produce the word and that his voice was hoarse for days afterward.

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It took me seven attempts to say one word – namely 'now' – and for the next few days my voice was destroyed. It was hoarse. It was awful. So no, you can't really practice it. But it's great fun when you do it.

This is not McGrail-Bateup's first foray into record-breaking. In 2019, he set a record for the fastest archer, shooting 10 arrows in 60.03 seconds. Despite his achievements, he expressed no desire to hold onto his shouting record, saying, "If someone beats me, that's fantastic. Records are meant to be broken."

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If someone beats me, that's fantastic. Records are meant to be broken.