by Ian Marshall, ITTF Publications Editor

There was no Hollywood wizardry, with a ball being later added digitally, it was the real thing.

Playing for one hour without making a mistake, the right arm aching, Yannick Jeanneau, a Class 3 Para athlete from the Déols Table Tennis Club and La Chapelle-Saint-Ursin Club completed 3,663 hits against the upturned opposite half of the table. Thus a world record for a wheelchair bound athlete was established.

Yannick Jeanneau, completed 3,663 strokesAt the same time, Emmanuel Crétier faced the same challenge. He completed no less than 5,936 strokes and created a world record for able bodied players; his efforts have been validated by Guinness Book of Records!

Furthermore, the new world records were set in a good cause; the event which they attended was organised to raise funds for Telethon, a national charity for medical research.

A busy day in La Chapelle-Saint-Ursin