Last 16 hours of passing a ping-pong ball without it stopping? This is the completely crazy sporting challenge that Dijon YouTuber Paul Guez, aka Paul Gz, has just launched and which he plans to carry out this Sunday, December 22 live on his channel. The 23-year-old young man, passionate about table tennis (he has also made humorous videos on the subject), had this idea in November. “I came across the world record for the longest table tennis exchange registered in the Guinness Book of Records,” explains the YouTuber. “It was the English Dan Ives and Lloyd Gregory who lasted, in June 2024, 13 hours 36 minutes and 36 seconds. It made me want to do the same. »
A solidarity dimension to this event
To accompany him on this adventure, he called on his childhood friend and table tennis player Romain. “He first said to me: “What is this madness?”, laughing, then he accepted,” Paul remembers. “We're all in, we want to do it seriously and try the 16 hours! We have been training for over a month once or twice a week. »
The key to success in breaking this record is “concentration”. With Romain, they thought about everything, like not being able to go to the toilet. “In case we can’t hold back, we’ll put on diapers,” smiles Paul. “That's what the English did, but they were so focused that they didn't need it. » And to hydrate and eat? “As we are both right-handed, we each set up a stool on our left with a glass of water and a straw, and a plate with cut bananas for me, pieces of cereal bars for Romain. »
Two cameras will be installed to film the event, which will take place in Côte-d'Or and will be broadcast live on Paul Gz's channel from 8 a.m. “We don’t know what’s going to happen, are we going to make it? I hope so,” he says.
In addition to the sporting challenge, the Dijonnais wanted to give a solidarity dimension to this event. “At the end of the year, I wanted to send a message of solidarity and launch a prize pool during the live “, he explains. “I said to myself that it would be great to benefit an association. I turned to Cop1 – Solidarités Étudiantes, which acts on a daily basis to fight against student precariousness throughout France. When we know that one in five students needs food aid, this is not normal. I want to raise awareness on the subject and collect as many donations as possible, which will be entirely donated to the association. »
Paul Guez specifies that the prize pool will be open until December 26. In the meantime, this Sunday, Paul and Romain will “do everything to create the feat and represent France”.
