Sophia Tepla doing a back bend contortion holding her feet

Sofia Tepla

Age: 12
Home country: Ukraine
Special skill: Contortionism!

Hi, I’m Sofia Tepla and I hold two Guinness World Records titles for my contortion skills! When I broke my first record I was – literally – head over heels with joy (get it? 🤪). I guess you could say I’m quite bendy. 🤸🏻‍♀️

Sophia performing at show

How it started…

When I was 3 years old, I used to watch TV talent shows all the time and I would try to repeat some of their tricks.

Then I would put on shows for my family! 💃🏼

My mum and dad wanted to enrol me in a gymnastics or acrobatics class, but there wasn’t one in our small town, so…

My mum decided to start a circus school! 🎪

I started my professional journey when I was 7 years old – now I perform on big stages and even get to travel often and see many countries. 🌎

My journey of record breaking…

It all started in 2022, when I was invited to attempt a record at the Italian TV show Lo Show dei Record.

So I set the record title for world’s fastest time to travel 20 m in a contortion roll – I did it in 10.49 seconds. 🤩

I almost immediately decided I wanted to set another one!

But as soon as I went back home, things in my country took a dark turn…

Despite all the difficulties, I found my motivation again – I wanted to prove to the whole world that Ukraine is full of talented children. 💙💛

One year later, I set the record for the most contortion roll push-ups in 30 seconds… 21. 😎

I wish all young athletes to boldly pursue their dream. Personally, I like to set new challenges for myself. I feel grateful for my parents, and want to thank them for supporting me!

Sofia Tepla

🔎 Do you have to be born flexible to be a contortionist?
Well, my body isn’t naturally that flexible. It took years of training and daily warm-up sessions. I have a lot of strength, but I developed flexibility over a long time! It goes without saying that you should NOT try this without an expert’s supervision. 🙅‍♀️

Sofia Tepla holding 2 certificates

What it's like being a contortionist

There are pretty much only advantages to it.

I use my stretching very often in everyday activities…

I can even brush my teeth with my feet. 🤣

When I perform, I enjoy people’s reactions more than anything – their cheering really inspires me to keep going!

In the future, I want to show my skills to the entire world. ✈️

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Sofia on window sill

Fun facts about me

I have a little brother, Alexander, who’s also great at acrobatics!

We often train and perform together – we make a cool duo. 👯

Some things I like to do for fun are:

  • Making jewellery 💍
  • Playing board games 🎲
  • Making pancakes 🥞
  • Breaking records of course 🤣

Do you have any of the same hobbies?

You have to believe in yourself, and not stop when things don’t work out. Nothing in the world is impossible!

Sofia Tepla

Sofia Tepla at lo show dei record holding certificate

My plans for the future

I’d like to break more records! 💪

I think there is a lot of record titles I could set with my contortion skills, and I have some ideas.

Maybe my next attempt could involve lifting flowers with my mouth while in a backward bend…🤪

I want to keep performing for a long time and represent Ukraine on global stages!