The man who built the Eiffel Tower with 700,000 matchsticks has a world record after all

Richard Blood's dreams of matches have been revived.

Earlier this week, the Frenchman was furious when he was told that a 23-foot-tall model of the Eiffel Tower – made from 700,000 matchsticks over eight years – could not officially be considered a world record because he used the wrong matches.

But Guinness World Records said on Friday that it had changed its mind and considered his attempt correct and within the rules.

Enter the tallest matchstick sculpture on The Guinness website is now reading: “The tallest matchstick sculpture is 7.18 meters (23 ft 6 in) tall, completed by Richard Blood (France) in Saugon, Charente-Maritimes, France, on 7 January 2024.”

The company told NBC News on Wednesday that it was reviewing its decision, following the initial ruling that Plaud used the wrong type of matches because they were not commercially available.

Mark McKinlay, director of central records services at Guinness World Records, said in a statement that after learning more about Blood's techniques and revising the model compared to similar attempts, “it appears we have been aggressive in enforcing our rules.” In this case.”

He said, “Therefore, we are very happy to grant Richard the Guinness World Records title, and we have corrected some discrepancies in our rules, which now allow the matches to be cut and shaped in the way the viewer sees fit.”

McKinlay added that Guinness “regrets the distress the past 24 hours have caused what should have been a moment of celebration for Richard.”

Blood said Reuters That the ordeal was an “emotional rollercoaster,” but he never gave up hope.

“For eight years, I always thought I was building the tallest matchstick structure,” he told the news agency.

When Blood began his epic mission in December 2015, he bought boxes of matches from supermarkets and manually removed a small match stub from each box.

He then made a deal with a manufacturer to have the headless matches sent directly to him – Guinness originally considered this a reason for disqualification.

Blood's story made headlines around the world earlier this week when he took to social media to criticize Guinness's decision.

“Getting a world record was a childhood dream. It was always on my mind,” Blood said. Le Parisien In January.