Man Spends 8 Years Building Record-Breaking Model, Gets Terrible News
Pursuing a world record can sometimes take years of painstaking work; just ask Richard Plaud. The Frenchman has spent the last eight years building a model of the Eiffel Tower made entirely out of matchsticks in pursuit of recognition by Guinness World Records. But when he was finally finished, he got some upsetting news from the organization.
Plaud detailed what happened in a frustrated Instagram post. "The Guinness book judges have given their verdict without having seen my tower in real life," he stated plainly. He noted that the official Guinness guidelines only permit the use of matches that are commercially available and that aren't "cut, disassembled, or distorted beyond its recognition as matchsticks."
"As the matchsticks were not commercially available and were not recognized as matchsticks, the attempt has been disqualified," the U.K.-based records keeper told him. His model stands at 23.6 feet high, two feet higher than the existing record for an Eiffel Tower matchstick model held by a Lebanese man. Plaud told Le Parisien that he struck a deal with a manufacturer to buy 30-pound boxes of headless matches after growing tired of buying individual matchboxes. It felt "like Christmas" to him when he opened the boxes, but his decision might have cost him.
Needless to say Plaud was not pleased, saying the situation reeks of "disillusion, disappointment, and incomprehension." "You're telling me that the 706,900 rods glued together one by one are not matches? And that they're too sharp to be recognizable?" he questioned in disbelief, adding, "Clearly, the English are really different."
He's not giving up, though. "Having a world record was a childhood dream," he confessed to Le Parisien. "I always had that in the back of my mind." The man is defiant and proud of his work that took nearly a decade to bring to life. Even though he currently isn't eligible for the world record, he won't be taking it down anytime soon. "My matchstick tower is still tall and will be 7.19 meters for a long time! No offense to the English," he captioned his Instagram post.
Thankfully, all hope is not lost. Guinness' central records services director Mark McKinley told NBC News the organization is reconsidering its decision. "It’s the job of our records management team to be thorough and fastidious in reviewing evidence to make sure the playing field is level for everyone attempting a Guinness World Records title. However, it does appear we might have been a little heavy-handed with this application," he said. "We will make contact with the record holder again as well as review rules for similar records as a priority to see what can be done."
All Plaud needs to do now is keep the structure away from any open flames.