Czechs break world record for fastest "relay" drinking

The Czechs can look forward to having a second alcohol-related entry in the famous Guinness Book of World Records after reaching a new high in "relay" beer drinking this past weekend.

Czechs break world record for fastest "relay" drinking

Photo: CTK

In the town of Sumperk on Saturday, enthusiastic Czech patriots queued up to down 2,662 half-litres of beer in less than 17 hours. Drinking at a rate of over 156 beers per hour, or 2.6 mugs per minute of "liquid bread" as its known here, the Czechs can now claim to be the fastest "relay" drinkers in the world.

The previous holders of the Guinness Book of World Records title were the Slovaks, who only managed to chug down 2,001 beers in the same amount of time.

The Sumperk event got under way at seven in the morning. Participants reached the half-way mark to eclipsing the Slovak record in the afternoon and by early evening the thirsty Czechs were confident that the world record would be theirs.

'Relay' drinking, photo: CTK

One of the organisers of the event told the daily Lidove noviny that by 7:30 on Saturday evening, Sumperkers and friends had clinched the record with 2,150 beers under their belts. But Petr Hradil said "good weather and terrific thirst" inspired them to carry on "relay" drinking until well after midnight.

The Czechs already boast one beer-related entry in the Guinness Book of World Records, as the leading beer-consuming nation per capita. In 1999, the last time the category was updated, the average Czech drank 160 litres of the golden liquid.