Chef Smith recently announced himself as the new record holder for the longest cooking marathon by an individual.
On 2 July 2024, he claimed that the Guinness World Records had awarded him a certificate for setting a new record for the longest cooking marathon by an individual.
However, in an official response email, Guinness World Records clarified the situation, stating: "No, this is not true at all. He does not hold the GWR title, and that is not our certificate. The current and true record holder is: The longest cooking marathon (individual) is 119 hr 57 min 16 sec and was achieved by Alan Fisher (Ireland) in Matsue, Shimane, Japan, from 28 September to 3 October 2023."
A new report by Guinness World Records (GWR) indicated that no official application or evidence of his over eight hundred hours of cooking was submitted for the record attempt, a key requirement for their recognition.
The desire of some Ghanaians to etch their names into the Guinness World Records has been nothing short of a failure.
Many Ghanaians have since attempted to break various World records but have unfortunately not succeeded, while some are also waiting for their confirmation from the Guinness World Records.
Ghanaians who attempted and failed Guinness World Records
1. Chef Failatu Abdul-Razak
Guinness World Records turned down Ghanaian chef Failatu Abdul-Razak’s attempt to break the record for the longest cooking marathon by an individual.
Failatu attempted to cook non-stop for over 227 hours in January but failed because she didn’t follow the regulations for rest breaks.
A statement from the Records Management Team cited a violation of the rest break rules, resulting in an unsuccessful attempt.
Chef Faila began her remarkable attempt on New Year’s Day at the Modern City Hotel in Tamale. On Wednesday, the Ghanaian cook ended her attempt at the 227th hour in front of a crowd of supporters and fellow Ghanaians.
2. Afua Asantewaa
Ghana's Afua Asantewaa also failed in her attempt to break the longest singing marathon she attempted in December 2023.
According to GWR in a statement on X (formerly Twitter), despite the setback, they hope she makes another attempt.
"We’ve seen how inspirational it has been for her fans…We wish Afua the best of luck with any future record attempts", they noted. They added that the money Afua Asantewaa’s team paid for a priority review haa been refunded.
Afua Asantewaa in December 2023 took on the challenge to beat the existing record, which stands at 105 hours set in 2012.
Asantewaa endured a five-day singing marathon which began at midnight on Sunday, December 24, 2023, and ended at 7:00 am on December 29, 2023.
At the time she ended her record attempt on Friday morning, the young woman had sung for five days, six hours, and 55 minutes.
Ghanaians awaiting results on their GWR record attempts
1. Regina Adu Sarfowaa
Ghanaian actress Regina Adu Safowaah on Thursday, February 15, 2024, completed her attempt at the Guinness World Records (GWR) longest speech marathon by an individual.
She managed to reach her 130 hours target which she embarked on from Friday, February 9 at the La Palm Royal Hotel.
Adu Safowaah surpassed the current record for the longest speech marathon held by Anata Ram KC from Nepal, which stands at an impressive 90 hours and 2 minutes from August 27 to 31, 2018.
2. DJ Sam
DJ Sam embarked on an ambitious endeavour aiming to surpass the current record of 200 hours for the longest DJ set by reaching an impressive 255 hours.
However, DJ Sam exceeded all expectations by achieving a staggering feat of 264 hours. Congratulations to DJ Sam on his remarkable achievement!
His ambitious attempt began on Wednesday, February 13th, at the Mood Bar in Osu, where he was joined by industry luminaries.
3. Seidu Rafiwu
Rafiwu started his journey on Saturday, April 27, and completed the 383 km walk journey in 96 hours from Techiman to Accra. He climaxed his record attempt earlier today at the Independence Square in Osu, Accra.
The current walking marathon record was set by America’s Jesse Casteneda in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA, in September 1976 after walking for 228.930 kilometres.
4. Atinga Nsobila Joel
Atinga started his Kebab-a-ton record attempt on April 11, 2024, coinciding with the Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations, and ended on April 14, 2024.
Atinga aimed to surpass the current record of 80 hours held by Jan Greeff (USA & South Africa), with a staggering 90 hours of continuous barbecue production at Accra’s Legon City Mall.