Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
On Wednesday, April 24, chess master, Tunde Onakoya published a thread on the microblogging site, Twitter (otherwise known as X) to acknowledge his journey towards achieving his Guinness World Record objective.
It would be recalled on Saturday, April 20, Tunde Onakoya, a chess champion played chess nonstop for 60 hours on New York City’s Times Square and is looking to raise money for children in need across Africa.
āI have struggled to find the right words to capture all of the emotions Iāve felt in the last couple of days-it is indeed one of those weeks when decades happened,ā Onakoya wrote in the opening part of his statement on X.
Almost Cancelling On His Dreamsā¦
Almost Cancelling On His Dreamsā¦In his statement on X, Onakoya who is the founder of Chess In Slums Africa disclosed that he almost cancelled his intention of achieving his dreams at Times Square in New York, United States of America.
He wrote,
āI had woken up in the middle of the night some two weeks ago, cancelled my flight back home and decided to pursue this crazy idea of breaking the world record right in the heart of Times Square. It was basically attempting the impossible due to time constraints, but we made it work and got all the necessary permissions as our will was far greater than any resistance we faced.ā
How His Health Almost Failed Him
Days after the necessary authority granted his plans to make history at Times Square, Tunde Onakoya disclosed how his health almost failed him.
He continued,
āBut two days before the record attempt, my health failed me. It was so bad I had started sneezing blood, and coughing violently.
I was on the verge of calling it off but I had promised the children back home that I would make them proud and come back to them with tales of triumph. After all, I had taught them that it was possible to do great things from a small place against all odds.ā
āI Did It Afraidāā¦ Tunde Onakoya
Further, Tunde Onakoya mentioned that he did it afraid after getting to the place of the venue on the day his journey towards etching his name in history books commenced.
He added in his post,
On the day of the attempt, I still wasnāt feeling well but I dressed up and walked down to Times Square to see that Nigerians had turned up in numbers with Flags and flowers in hand to cheer me on. With tears in my eyes, I walked up to the chess board and did it afraid, unwell, uncertain but with a resolute mind.
After 60 hours of mental torture, we set a new record for the longest chess marathon in the world. We pushed human limitation and gave the world something new to believe in.ā
The Chess Master Acknowledges The Support
In the latter part of his acknowledgment post on social media, the chess master recognized the support of his fellow countrymen both at home and abroad.
He wrote,
āBut my greatest joy wasnāt just breaking the record, it was in the little moments we shared with everyone that was present and the wave of support back home in Nigeria. I experienced human love and kindness In itās purest form. People travelled from all over the world to come sit with us in the cold as we sparred for several hours.
To everyone who supported our vision, donated to our cause and stood by us ā this record is yours as much as it is mine. Together we have done something truly extraordinary. Thank youā
In Conclusionā¦
The founder of Chess In Slum, an initiative aimed at inspiring young individuals across the streets of Nigeria mentioned that he is fascinated that he can give hope to those in the shanties and creeks across the cities of his home nation.
In conclusion, Tunde Onakoya wrote,
āAs I sit here on my flight back home, my heart is full and I canāt wait to tell the children their dreams are valid as well.
Well done Tunde-The one who gives the forgotten little children big caps to wear, now the world will see them through your light.ā
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