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"Justin Howard, nicknamed &amp;#039;Nordic Thunder&amp;#039;, has been crowned world champion air guitar player at the World Air Guitar Championships in Oulu, Finland. The American dressed as a Viking warrior for his competition-winning performance and slid bare-legged across the stage. He beat compatriot Matt Burns, known as &amp;#039;Airistotle&amp;#039;, to first place by just 0.2 points.  Howard, who was named US air guitar champion last year and won silver in the 2011 world championships, was awarded a handmade electric guitar in recognition of his efforts. &amp;quot;I feel amazing,&amp;quot; he said after his victory. &amp;quot;I feel loved, I feel like crying and laughing and hugging.&amp;quot; The 17th Air Guitar World Championships were held in Rotuaari Square and also featured performances by Finnish pop acts. The annual competition has been held in the city since 1996. Competitors have to win their national championships to earn their place in the final round, although some are able to obtain a place through a &amp;#039;Dark Horses&amp;#039; qualifier. To be in with a chance of being selected as a &amp;#039;dark horse&amp;#039;, entrants must send in a 60-second performance clip to be judged by a panel. The highest-scoring entrants are then invited to join the national champions in Finland. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/fun/news/a401815/nordic-thunder-crowned-world-air-guitar-champion/>