An electrical engineer from Ezza South Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, Celestine Onele, has embarked on a mission to break the Guinness World Record for the longest ironing marathon by an individual.

He begun his attempt on Monday, April 22, 2024, at Real Exclusive Garden in Abakaliki.

Onele, who is currently pursuing a Master’s degree at Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Awka, shared with journalists on Sunday that he had received official approval from Guinness World Records, including a set of strict guidelines to adhere to during his record-breaking attempt.

According to Onele, the current record is held by Garric Standard from the United Kingdom, who set a benchmark of 100 hours in 2015, surpassing the previous record of 80 hours set by Huston from Australia in 2012.

Determined to elevate the record to 150 hours, Onele is drawing on his childhood passion for ironing to make his mark on the global stage.

“Before Garric Standard from the UK, the current record holder, was Huston from Australia. She broke the record in 2012 with 80 hours before Garric did in 2015 for 100 hours. After Garric Standard did, Guinness gave approval for some individuals who have attempted the record but didn’t get the acknowledgement based on the fact that there were so many rules they tampered with,” Onele explained.

He detailed the rigorous process involved in getting his attempt sanctioned by Guinness World Records, noting that it took 18 weeks from the submission of his application to receive approval.

“After three weeks, a specific guideline was approved for me, and it’s a guideline that I have to follow to break the record. There are so many rules in the guideline which if you tamper with, you will not be recognised,” he added.

One of the stringent rules is that he has only 30 seconds to pick up another piece of clothing to iron once he finishes with one and a mere 5-minute rest break after every hour of ironing.

The local community has shown enthusiastic support for Onele’s attempt, with residents of Abakaliki bringing their clothes to the event center for ironing.

“If I surpass the current holder of the record, I will be the new holder for the longest marathon ironing by an individual in the world. I am an engineer, but I love being inspired to do different things to put my name on the map,” Onele said.