Gunther Love Is World Air Guitar Champ
Updated : Aug 24, 2009
Frenchman Sylvain Quimene won the 2009 Air Guitar World Championships after wowing judges with his acrobatic dance routines and outrageous outfits, the event's organisers in Finland said.
Parisian Quimene, who performs under the stage name of Gunther Love, took first place in the competition in Oulu, northern Finland late on Friday evening.
The 28-year-old, clad in a skin-tight golden leotard, impressed judges with his imaginary guitar solos and backflip moves.
Although the United States may have given the world rock and roll, the country's air guitar heros were no match for the French flair of Quimene.
He picked up 35.1 points and beat off tough competition from last year's winner, American Craig "Hot Lixx Hulahan" Billmeier.
Billmeier and his compatriot Andrew "William Ocean" Litz finished in joint second place behind Quimene with 24.8 points.
Air guitarists taking part in the competition had to 'perform' a 60-second song of their own choice -- by pretending to play rock or heavy metal without an actual instrument.
A jury then awarded marks to each performer based on the choice of music, stage presence, technical merit and artistic impression.
This year's event featured 21 wannabe rockers from as far afield as Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
The first ever Air Guitar World Championships took place in Oulu in 1996.
