Teemu Virtanen’s 24-hour world record set two years ago in Lahti has finally been officially recognized by Guinness after a long wait. The Finnish athlete is now a two-time world record holder and is already looking towards new challenges.

Finnish ultraskier Teemu Virtanen is now officially the Guinness World Record holder for the 24-hour ski event. Today marks exactly two years since Virtanen achieved his remarkable record at the Lahti ski stadium, completing laps on a track measuring less than 500 meters for a full day.

During that time, Virtanen skied an incredible 475.88 kilometers, significantly surpassing the previous record. Before Virtanen, the record was held by Hans Mäenpää, whose result was just over 472 kilometers.

However, the process of officially recognizing the record has been unusually lengthy. Initially, Guinness World Records faced technical issues that prevented all evidence from being submitted. Following that, the approval process was delayed due to a backlog of records awaiting validation.

Eventually, Guinness requested additional verification, particularly regarding the final segment of the performance – the last 68 meters that Virtanen skied after completing the final full lap, measured as an extra distance. The necessary evidence was provided, and now the wait has finally been rewarded: the record has been officially approved.

Read also: Teemu Virtanen and Susanna Ylinen Break 24-Hour Ski World Records

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This marks Virtanen’s second Guinness World Record in the same category. His first was set in 2010 with a distance of 433.5 kilometers.

“The wait has been quite heavy, but now it feels amazing that the record is official. Time has surprisingly flown since the performance, but this matter has weighed on my mind for the past couple of years. I feel really relieved now,” Virtanen said.

Over the two years, Virtanen has also had time to reflect on the scale of his achievement.

“As time has passed, I’ve come to understand even better how significant this record truly was. The fact that I was able to improve my previous record by such a margin at the age of 56 feels particularly great. I am proud to now be a two-time Guinness World Record holder.”

However, his gaze is already set on the future. Virtanen mentions that new challenges are on the horizon.

“This official recognition of the record hopefully serves as a good push and springboard towards my next interesting endeavors. I have something coming up next summer that I will share more about soon.”

Next Saturday, Virtanen will be back in action as he participates in the Nordenskiöldsloppet in Sweden – the longest ski race in the world. Last year, Virtanen finished eighth in the competition, and his goals are high once again this time.

During the same record attempt, another impressive Finnish achievement was noted, as Susanna Ylinen broke the women’s 24-hour skiing world record. Her performance has not yet been officially recognized by Guinness, but it is expected that Ylinen’s record will also receive validation soon.

Virtanen’s name is now permanently etched in the history of endurance sports – and the story is far from over.