Ghanaians Who Have Set Guinness World Records

Nigeria’s Hilda Baci has drawn the attention of the world for the past few days with her attempt to break and set the Guinness World Record of the longest cooking time for an individual.

Hilda, a Nigerian chef, put the spotlight on herself and the Guinness World Record project, cooking for 100 hours to break the current world record for the longest cooking time for an individual by Indian chef Lata Tondon, who set a time of 87 hours and 45 minutes in 2019.

Whilst, the world awaits the Guinness World Records to review and conclude Hilda’s Journey so far, here are some Ghanaians who have etched their names in the Guinness Book of World Records for their various achievements.

1.  Lewis Appiagyei

At the age of 10, Lewis Appiagyei already had his first Guinness World Record for the fastest lap driven on the Laguna Seca Circuit in virtual racing on PlayStation 3.

This record is still unbeaten. While many boys his age were playing with toy cars, he raced to fame following in the tyre tread of Lewis Hamilton, one of his heroes. “My aim is to become Africa’s first Formula One world champion, a prize which is still up for grabs to all African racing drivers wherever they may be,” he told Forbes Africa.

He made it onto the 30 Under 30 Future of Ghana’s list in 2018 and is the current go-karting champion. His passion for racing has taken him to race tracks in Europe and Dubai.

Early this year, he won his last junior trophy at the Buckmore Park Kart Circuit in Kent England, the same circuit where many current Formula One drivers learned their trade including Jenson Button and Hamilton. For Appiagyei, this marked the end of the era and the start of a new one.

There is no telling what the big leagues hold for this young talent but he predicts that he will become a Formula One champion just like his namesake role model.

2. Dickson Oppong

Dickson Oppong a Ghanaian nicknamed “Waterman” set the Guinness World Record for the longest time to spray water uninterruptedly from his mouth in 32.65 seconds. He attained it on the set of a CCTV Guinness World Records Special, in Beijing, China, on 6 December 2012.

Dickson Oppong died on October 11th, 2021 after a bicycle accident in Düren, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. He was 54 years old.

3. Daniel Ashitey Amarh and Richard Mensah Ofori 

Daniel Ashitey Amarh and Richard Mensah Ofori set their Guinness World Record in 2011. Daniel Ashitey Amarh and Richard Mensah Ofori did so by scoring the fastest time to walk over ten obstacles while carrying a person on the head (standing on one foot).

According to Official Guinness Records, they set this record in a time of 21.83 seconds. They set their record on the set of Lo Show Dei Record, in Milan, Italy, on April 27, 2011.

4. Ferdie Ato Adoboe

Ferdie Ato Adoboe, a Ghanaian, set a Guinness World Record way back in 1983 and repeated his feat again in 1991. He entered his time in the book of legends by running 100 meters backward in 12.7 and 13.6 seconds in 1983 and 1991 respectively.

According to Ghanaian Museums, Ferdie has a total of four Guinness World Records. He is also an accomplished professional with a career that spans over four continents. He has 34 years of coaching and teaching.