It’s official: Gary Duschl and the longest chewing gum wrapper chain in the world achieved the top stunt of the past decade.
Guinness World Records confirmed the win in a news release after online voting for the top spot in each of 10 categories closed the day after Christmas.
Duschl beat men who hold records for the longest full body contact with ice, swallowing the most swords simultaneously and for holding rattlesnakes in a mouth.
Duschl got 62 percent of the votes in the top stunt category, but Guinness has not disclosed how many total votes there were for the category.
“It’s an honor, and I’m very pleased to be even in the top 100, but to make it in the top 10, boy, I’m just amazed with that,” Duschl said today.
As of Dec. 11, the chain measured 61,988 feet, or nearly 12 miles, with 1,462,066 wrappers.
The Virginia Beach resident already had made it onto the Guinness list of top 100 records for the decade and into the 2010 book, which was released in September. He has been adding to the chain since 1965.
Duschl hasn’t heard officially from Guinness, he said, but he expects a certificate or other official notification to arrive by mail soon.
He has received e-mails and visits to his Web site and his video posted on YouTube. He also said he expects more gum wrappers to arrive in the mail to add to the chain, which grows daily.
Duschl said he’s thankful to everyone who voted for him.
And next week, he’ll post an update on the chain’s progress as he does monthly on his site.
His new goal, he said last month, is for the chain to grow to 26 miles.
