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Team N.W.T.’s Chris Stipdonk set a new Arctic Winter Games record in the knuckle hop Wednesday, hopping 217 feet and breaking his own world record in the process.
“It’s been like a journey of ups and downs, successive challenges, failures. I feel like I could write a book,” Stipdonk said after he learned he had officially broken the record.
The 40-year-old Yellowknife resident has been chasing the elusive Arctic Winter Games record of 191 feet for years. Rodney Worl of Alaska set the record in 1988. Now Worl’s son Kyle competes in the event and is Stipdonk’s toughest competitor. Worl won silver and set a personal best Wednesday, with a distance of 179 feet.
“Kyle and I have been chasing that for a long time. And that’s so impressive that [Rodney] held it for that long considering we know so much more about nutrition and training,” Stipdonk said. “It’s just a very different game now than it was before.”
Although Stipdonk had previously hopped farther, setting a world record of 206 feet at the Indigenous Summer Games in 2022, he had never been able to replicate such a performance at the Arctic Winter Games.
Worl said he called his father to tell him that his record had been broken, and they are both glad it was broken by such a deserving person.
Watch Chris Stipdonk of Team NWT set a new world record in knuckle hop, with a distance of 217 feet at the 2026 Arctic Winter Games in Whitehorse.
“I feel very proud of Chris. We’ve been waiting for his moment, and we knew it was coming,” he said. “This year he locked in. It was pristine form the entire time. And that just shows how amazing of an athlete he is and to persevere year after year.”
Stipdonk announced his retirement after just missing the games record in 2023. He returned to the event to compete in the 2024 games but was stopped early for an infraction. With the next Arctic Winter Games not scheduled for another three years, Stipdonk knew he had to make these games count.
“That put even more pressure on me because I don’t know what’s going to happen in three years,” he said. “So I really put in my best effort.”
Stipdonk was the first competitor in this year’s event, and as he began his attempt, the packed gym at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School in Whitehorse erupted with cheers of support.
He completed over a lap of the track before collapsing on the hardwood and rolling over on his back breathing heavily. Once he was able to catch his breath, he stood up and waved to the roaring crowd.
“It’s so exciting,” said Cherie Ratti, who was watching the event. “I’ve watched Chris Stipdonk and Kyle Worl before, so I was really excited to see them, but it’s also great to see all these new young competitors who are just going for it, no matter how hard it is.”
The knuckle hop is a grueling event and one of 10 events in Arctic Sports. The traditional Inuit game is intended to mimic the movement of a seal on ice.
Competitors must hop on their knuckles around a track taped to the gym floor, while moving their feet in unison and keeping their backs flat and arms tucked closely to their sides. Any infraction will result in a competitor being stopped where they are.
Stipdonk said training for the event involves a lot of push-ups and core work. It also requires a high tolerance for pain.
Most athletes’ knuckles are bleeding when they finish, and volunteers must mop blood off the floor in between competitors.
‘You’re fighting with yourself’
“I think that it’s when you are getting tired and … you can’t hop anymore, and you’re almost like dragging your hands forward,” said Stipdonk.
Worl said athletes must overcome doubts and push their bodies and minds to the limit.
“Those last 10 feet are the most challenging,” he said. “It’s not actually the physical pain of the knuckles; it’s those last few feet where you’re fighting with yourself, physical self, your mental self and you’re riding on that energy of the audience to just go a little bit further.”
No matter where athletes finished in the event, spectators said they were amazed by their athleticism and perseverance.
“I remember I tried that when I was young, but I can only imagine now,” said Charlie Nowkawalk, who travelled all the way from Nunavik to watch the games.
“Even if it didn’t seem like they made it far, it’s still incredibly difficult,” said 11-year-old Matteo Larssonayiku. “Seeing people going around the gym and a bit more — it really shows how athletes like to dig deep.”
Stipdonk’s mother, Debra, travelled from Hawaii to watch him and his daughter, Lindsey, who’s also competing at the games and has won three medals in speed skating.
“It’s just so wonderful seeing everybody cheering for him,” Debra said. “I know his dad is beaming up there in the sky at him. I’m just thrilled.”
The performance of Stipdonk’s life happened in the same gym he competed in 26 years ago at his first Arctic Winter Games, when he played futsal with his father, he said.
“It’s really special,” Stipdonk said. “I’ll have some tears later by myself.”
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