Longest pool cue
Pool trick shot expert Florian “Venom Trickshots” Kohler recently visited the Gorilla Café snooker hall in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA to tackle a series of Guinness World Records titles, as part of an event organised by Whistle Sports.
 
The 28-year-old Frenchman achieved an incredible total of six new records on the day, starting with a demonstration of the world’s Longest usable pool cue.
 
The 5.37 metres (17 ft 7.4 in) long beast was created by Florian’s sponsor, Japanese cue company MEZZ, using the same materials as a regular-sized cue.
 
However, to achieve the record Florian had to prove that the custom cue was fit for purpose by breaking and then potting seven balls – a requirement that proved extra challenging due to the fact the cue was almost too big to fit in the room!
 
“What none of us realised was how heavy the cue would become, causing it to bend when I held it which made things quite difficult,” said Florian after the attempt.
I didn't realise until just before the attempt that I had to play a whole rack with it...which I had a good laugh at after finding out. It certainly wasn't my best game of pool but it was a fun and challenging record to attempt! Luckily the cue can be broken down into many pieces, so it'll be in my garage until someone tries beat this record...in which case I'll be right back at this again!
Official Guinness World Records adjudicator Sofia Greenacre was on hand to verify all of Florian’s achievements on the day.
 
Next up came an attempt at the Most pool balls potted into the middle pocket over an obstacle in one minute, with the pool shot maestro hoping to break his own record of 68.
 
The obstacle was comprised of two parallel lines of competition size pool balls, placed next to each other.
 
Florian expertly dispatched an impressive total of 70 balls into the centre pocket, accomplishing his second Guinness World Records title of the day.
 
He followed this up with what he later admitted being the most challenging of the record challenges attempted on the day - the Highest jump pot of a billiard ball.
 
He could have fooled us though, because he successfully set the record in style with a 30 cm jump before raising the bar to a huge 34 cm (1 ft 1.39 in).
 
It’s hard to believe Florian only spent two days practising for these attempts!
 
Florian’s next task was the Fastest time to jump pot 15 pool balls (US table), which he achieved in a staggering 6.78 seconds.
 
Wanting something even tougher, he then attempted the Fastest time to jump pot 15 pool balls (US table), one-handed, and smashed the record with a time of 17.01 seconds.
 
Florian’s final record was for the Longest duration to spin a billiard ball - managing to keep a ball rotating for a dizzying 23.53 seconds.
 
The pool pro seems to have got the taste for record breaking:
I definitely want to better my mark on some of the ones I set this time around but I also want to attempt some more extreme records such as the ‘most trick shots performed in 24 hours’ or something like that...
Asked how it feels to become a Guinness World Records title holder, Florian said:
This is a definitely something I take great pride in! I grew up reading the Guinness book and watching the TV shows, so be a part of it is something every kid dreams of doing! In a relatively publicized sport such as pool, having a Guinness World Record title is something that'll always be associated with my name which is pretty cool!

Stay tuned to GuinnessWorldRecords.com, where Florian will be showing you how to pull off some of the trick shots seen in the videos above. 

For more mesmerising examples of Florian's trick shot skills, head to his YouTube channel here, and for more incredible sports videos, check out Whistle Sports' channel.