World record for Oshawa firefighter in the ‘toughest two minutes in sports’ event in Indiana

The course is known as the toughest two minutes in sports and Oshawa firefighter Matt Baca was certainly up for the challenge, earning a first-place ribbon – and a new world record – in a tandem event and a silver in an individual category at the Task Force Tips Firefighter Challenge Midwest Region Classic in Valparaiso, Indiana.

Baco and his partner Jacqueline Belluomini of Las Vegas Fire & Rescue set a new world record Friday in the tandem event with a time of 1:31.30 and he followed that up with a second place finish in the individual 40-49 division.

Baca’s time of 1:30.99 was second only to Nate Skewes of the Waukegan (Illinois) Fire Department, who recorded a time of 1:26.79. Skewes was part of the tandem team that was bested by Baca and Belluomini the day before.

Firefighters from across the midwestern United States and Canada were competing in the annual competition held at the Arena of the Brave course, known to firefighters as the “toughest two minutes in sports,” and part of the Firefighters Challenge Championship Series.