Guinness World Records has officially disqualified Afua Asantewaa’s second attempt at the longest singing marathon, citing a breach of rest break regulations in their decision published on May 8, 2025.
According to the notice released by Guinness, Asantewaa’s application was invalidated after a thorough review by record managers revealed she exceeded the permitted rest duration at two critical points during the challenge.
Specifically, during Activity and Rest sequence 19, she took a 15-minute break at 23:25, despite having accrued only 5 minutes of rest time. A subsequent violation occurred in sequence 21, where she paused for 105 minutes but had only earned 10 minutes of rest.
Guinness reiterated that its guidelines allow for 5 minutes of rest for every hour of continuous activity. These intervals are the only accepted breaks during record attempts, ensuring fairness and consistency across all global challenges.
In a statement, Guinness World Records commended Asantewaa’s determination and effort:
“We congratulate you on your efforts and hope you can understand our reasoning. We can only approve a record when all of the rules have been followed, as that is how we ensure fairness across all record attempts.”
Asantewaa, who previously made headlines with her initial attempt in 2023, had become a symbol of perseverance and pride in Ghana and across Africa. Her fans have expressed both disappointment and continued support across social media, hailing her spirit and courage despite the outcome.
This latest decision underscores the strict standards upheld by Guinness World Records and the difficulty of endurance-based record attempts, where even minor missteps can invalidate days of effort.
Asantewaa has yet to publicly respond to the ruling, but supporters remain hopeful that she may rise again for another attempt — this time with an even sharper eye on the stopwatch.
