Gentry Stein is an unassuming dude from California—you wouldn’t look twice, really, if you saw him walking down the street. But Stein is actually a professional yo-yo-er, and he’s just been named the world’s best, having taken home top honors in the 2014 World Yo-Yo Contest‘s 1A division.
The first World Yo-Yo Contest was held in 1932—and the yo-yo itself is much older, dating back to 500BCE and ancient Greece—but the event wasn’t held annually until 1992. It draws admirers and aficionados from across the globe, and is administered by the International Yo-Yo Federation (IYYF); this year, the championships were held in Prague. 1A, the division in which Stein excelled, is the name professionals use to describe single-string tricks, the form with which you’re probably most familiar.
As you can see from the video, professionals are thrilling to watch. Watching Stein go through his repertoire may make you want to dig out that Yomega Brain and get practicing again.
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