Stipdonk said he would retire after missing the 191-ft record by three feet last year, but came back to compete this week – only to be stopped at the 57-ft mark over concerns about his body shape.

In knuckle hop, your body has to retain a certain form all the way around the circuit. Judges watch your shape closely and stop you if you falter.

Stipdonk, who was far from the only athlete to be stopped for that kind of infraction during Wednesday's event, said he had been told the judges thought his butt was too high in the air.

"It's frustrating but stuff like that happens," said the 38-year-old afterward. His daughter, Lindsey, is also competing at this week's games in the snowshoe events, making the two a rare example of a parent-and-child pairing at the same Arctic Winter Games.

Meika McDonald and daughter Veronica are one of the few other instances of two family generations competing for Team NT at the same games. They also did so in Alaska, in 2006, and were each competitors in Arctic Sports, of which knuckle hop is a part. (Only Arctic Sports and Dene Games allow adults to compete at the Arctic Winter Games.)

Worl's winning mark was 157 ft. Inuuteq Josefsen of Kalaallit Nunaat – the team formerly known as Greenland – came second with a distance of just over 134 ft. Byron Kotokak, in fifth, was Team NT's top performer at a distance of nearly 71 ft. 

Stipdonk said he took pride in holding the world record, at more than 206 ft, even if the games record continues to elude him. It was set in the 1980s by Rodney Worl, father of Wednesday's victor Kyle.

"I wanted to really respect the sport, the other participants and the officials and just be part of it," Stipdonk said, explaining why he chose to come back after initially pledging to retire. 

"I don't regret it."