Nigerian autistic teen sets world painting record
A 15-year-old autistic Nigerian has set the Guinness World Record for the world's largest art canvas to raise awareness for autism.
Kanyeyachukwu Tagbo-Okeke's painting, which features a multi-coloured ribbon - the autism symbol - surrounded by emojis, spans 12,304 square meters.
It is aimed at highlighting the spectrum disorder and the challenges that people like him face amid stigma - like the highly controversial comments made by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The US Secretary of Health and Human Services recently declared autism an 'epidemic', while stating that many autistic people will 'never pay taxes, they'll never hold a job, they'll never play baseball, they'll never write a poem, they'll never go out on a date.'
We'd like to see him achieve something halfway as impressive as Tagbo-Okeke's painting.
The artwork, created in November 2024, was unveiled and officially recognized by the Guinness World Record organizers in Nigeria's capital of Abuja during World Autism Acceptance Day in April.
Nigeria's art and culture minister Hannatu Musawa said Tagbo-Okeke's artwork is 'a beacon of hope and inspiration' for people with autism.
'We recognize the unique abilities and potential of individuals with autism and are dedicated to providing opportunities for them to thrive in the creative industries,' Musawa added.
The young artist's record-breaking attempt, accompanied by a campaign tagged 'Impossibility is a Myth," was widely celebrated among Nigerians, partly because of his young age.
Indeed, his artwork eclipsed that of Emad Salehi, the previous world record holder, who was nearly three times older at 42 when he set the record with a 9,652-square meter canvas.
'We felt an overwhelming sense of relief and pride, knowing the countless hours and months of effort he poured into breaking the record,' his mother Silvia said.
Kanyeyachukwu's world record attempt also sought to raise funds for the Zeebah Foundation, a nonprofit focusing on providing support to those on the spectrum and their families.
There are limited resources in Nigeria for initiatives like this one, and while there are no official records from within Nigeria, about 1 in 100 children worldwide has autism, according to the World Health Organization.
Like in many other countries, autism is often not diagnosed in Nigeria until in older years.
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Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Flashlights and glowing golf balls. How a NY man played for 35 hours in quest for world record
Kelechi Ezihie plays golf at the Huntington Crescent Club in Huntington, N.Y., where he played for 35 straight hours, between Sunday, June 8, 2025 to Tuesday, June 10, 2025, and is seeking validation of the Guinness World Record. (Mac McCoy via AP) Kelechi Ezihie plays golf at the Huntington Crescent Club in Huntington, N.Y., where he played for 35 straight hours, between Sunday, June 8, 2025 to Tuesday, June 10, 2025, and is seeking validation of the Guinness World Record. (Mac McCoy via AP) Kelechi Ezihie, right, plays golf at the Huntington Crescent Club in Huntington, N.Y., where he played for 35 straight hours, between Sunday, June 8, 2025 to Tuesday, June 10, 2025, and is seeking validation of the Guinness World Record. (Mac McCoy via AP) Kelechi Ezihie, right, plays golf at the Huntington Crescent Club in Huntington, N.Y., where he played for 35 straight hours, between Sunday, June 8, 2025 to Tuesday, June 10, 2025, and is seeking validation of the Guinness World Record. (Mac McCoy via AP) Kelechi Ezihie plays golf at the Huntington Crescent Club in Huntington, N.Y., where he played for 35 straight hours, between Sunday, June 8, 2025 to Tuesday, June 10, 2025, and is seeking validation of the Guinness World Record. (Mac McCoy via AP) Kelechi Ezihie plays golf at the Huntington Crescent Club in Huntington, N.Y., where he played for 35 straight hours, between Sunday, June 8, 2025 to Tuesday, June 10, 2025, and is seeking validation of the Guinness World Record. (Mac McCoy via AP) Kelechi Ezihie, right, plays golf at the Huntington Crescent Club in Huntington, N.Y., where he played for 35 straight hours, between Sunday, June 8, 2025 to Tuesday, June 10, 2025, and is seeking validation of the Guinness World Record. (Mac McCoy via AP) A New York man is laying claim to the record for most consecutive hours playing golf — a 35-hour stint on a course on Long Island that began early Sunday evening and ended early Tuesday morning. Kelechi Ezihie initially planned to play 24 hours to set a Guinness World Record, only to learn hours into his effort that a British golfer had played for 32 straight hours on a course in Norway at the end of May. His sister had called him after seeing the 32-hour record while searching the internet, he said. Advertisement Surprised but determined, he plodded on through rain, fatigue and drenched and aching feet to outlast the Brit, Isaac Rowlands. 'I feel proud to be able to say I am a world champion,' he said. "This is an opportunity that not many people have. It's definitely something I will definitely be telling my kids and my grandkids moving forward in the future.' Armed with friends, flashlights and glow-in-the-dark golf balls, the 27-year-old Ezihie teed off at Huntington Crescent Club at about 6:30 p.m. on Sunday and sank his last putt shortly after 5:30 a.m. Tuesday — playing the 18 holes seven times for a total of 126 holes, he said. Along the way, friends took video of the entire outing and other people served as witnesses so Guinness could verify the record, he said. He was allowed a five-minute break per hour, under Guinness rules, and ended up taking 20-minute breaks at the end of each round while still following the rules. Advertisement Kylie Galloway, a spokesperson for London-based Guinness, said it takes 12 to 15 weeks for specialists with the organization to review evidence and declare whether a record has been set. He said no one currently holds the record for longest golf marathon, and anyone who applies must have played at least 24 hours. Ezihie, an assistant manager at an organization that serves people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and autism, said he wanted to set the record to promote diversity in golf. 'People become intimidated when they hear about golf and they think it's for the wealthy," he said in a phone interview Wednesday. "I see how much golf has taught me, and I just believe that golf is a game that everybody should be able to get a chance to play and they could definitely learn life lessons from this game.' Ezihie, who has been playing golf for only two and a half years, also promotes golf locally and is trying to raise funds to build a golf center in Imo State in Nigeria, where he is from, to build interest in the sport among children. He has lived in the U.S. since 2008. Advertisement Near the end of his golf marathon in Tuesday's early hours, Ezihie said his feet were really hurting. 'I was willing to play 'til the wheels fell off, and I did just that. My legs gave up on me and I was limping almost through the whole round," he said, adding 'I enjoyed every round.'
5 hours ago
World's oldest restaurant faces challenge from Madrid tavern that says its even older
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CBS News
6 hours ago
- CBS News
Long Island golfer breaks Guinness World Record for playing most consecutive hours
For most golfers, a round takes a few hours, but one Long Island man is taking that to the extreme. Kelechi Ezihie, who only started playing golf two years ago after learning the game as a caddy, hit the course at Huntington Crescent Club at 6 p.m. on Sunday with the intention of setting a Guinness World Record by playing nonstop for 24 hours. However, in the wee hours of Monday morning, he found out his marathon had to get even longer if he wanted his name in the record books. By Tuesday, he broke the world record for the longest game of golf at 36 hours. "This is a test to my energy" Ezihie's drive goes beyond the green. He works at Life's WORC, a nonprofit serving people with disabilities, and he's raising money -- and awareness -- for his mission to diversify golf. The 27-year-old Inwood resident showed no signs of fatigue about 19 hours into his odyssey. He was allowed five-minute breaks each hour, but otherwise must keep walking and swinging. "I feel great. This is for a good cause, so I feel great," Ezihie said earlier Monday. "This is a test to my energy to see how far I can go." He was surrounded by friends who kept him laughing through the night as he played under lights and with glow-in-the-dark balls. "I really showed up thinking I would just play until 10, but the vibes are so good," friend Michaelangelo Garland said. Why Ezihie had to play longer than he planned In the middle of play, he found out that the game that planned to be the longest in history had to get even longer if wanted to set the record. He said he found out at around 3 a.m. Monday that a British golfer had just played 32 hours straight in Norway. So, Ezihie aimed for 36, which would have him finishing around 6 a.m. on Tuesday. "My friends are here to keep me going. I just think about enjoying myself, enjoy every single swing," he said. And that means rain or shine, darkness or light. "A little shower doesn't spoil the dream and the goal," Ezihie said. Guinness officials will now review video evidence to determine if he meets all the criteria for the record. "We have to make sure he's finishing the rounds in the right amount of time, that he is taking breaks in the allotted time that witnesses are logging," said Shartia Ducksworth, of Golf Insights. Why Ezihie embarked on this mission in the first place "People assume that golf is for the wealthy and I'm trying to change that," Ezihie said. "The goal is to let people know that golf is a game for everybody. Whatever your economic background or somebody with special needs, you can play the game of golf." He has bought land in his native Nigeria to build a golf center. "I believe Nigeria has a lot of talented kids that aren't able to show their talent," Ezihie said. Ezihie has a large laugh, a bigger heart, and may be on his way to a spot in the record books.
