The new Guinness World Record holder, Tunde Onakoya, has released more information about his health days after his record-breaking chess marathon campaign.
Naijaonpoint reported on Wednesday that Tunde Onakoya suffered food poisoning during the campaign in Times Square, New York City, but continued his quest to break 58 hours chess marathon record.
The 29-year-old Chess player succeeded in his quest and set a 60-hour chess marathon record on Saturday, April 20.
On Wednesday, April 24, Onakoya arrived in Lagos, Nigeria, to a heroic welcome and was even hosted by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu at the Government House in Ikeja.
Afterwards, the Guinness Book of Records holder took to his official LinkedIn page to explain that aside from suffering food poisoning during the marathon, his health was so bad that he “sneezed blood and coughed violently” two days before the marathon.
Tunde Onakoya revealed in ... that he contemplated giving up on the marathon, but his determination to keep his promise to the children in his Chess in Slums project pushed him on.
He wrote: “I have struggled to find the right words to capture all of the emotions I’ve felt in the last couple of days – it is indeed one of those weeks when decades happened.
“I had woken up in the middle of the night some two weeks ago, cancelled my flight back home and decided to pursue this crazy idea of breaking the world record right in the heart of Times Square. It was basically attempting the impossible due to time constraints, but we made it work and got all the necessary permissions as our will was far greater than any resistance we faced.
“But two days before the record attempt, my health failed me. It was so bad I had started sneezing blood and coughing violently.
“I was on the verge of calling it off but I had promised the children back home that I was going to make them proud and come back to them with tales of triumph. After all, I had taught them that it was possible to do great things from a small place against all odds.”
Tunde Onakoya added, “On the day of the attempt, I still wasn’t feeling well but I dressed up and walked down to Times Square to see that Nigerians had turned up in numbers with Flags and flowers in hand to cheer me on. With tears in my eyes, I walked up to the chess board and did it afraid, unwell, uncertain but with a resolute mind.
“After 60 hours of mental torture, we set a new record for the longest chess marathon in the world. We pushed human limitations and gave the world something new to believe in.
“But my greatest joy wasn’t just breaking the record, it was in the little moments we shared with everyone present and the wave of support back home in Nigeria. I experienced human love and kindness in its purest form. People travelled from all over the world to come sit with us in the cold as we sparred for several hours.”
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