(by Steve Hopkins)
For a number of years, articles about table tennis in the United States regularly referenced “speeds up to 90 mph” when discussing our sport.  Most of us in the sport (who knew that there was some exaggeration involved) did little to correct the misconception.  There were some articles that touched upon the topic and some attempts to provide measurements – with the best estimates usually being closer to 60 or 70 mph as a maximum playing speed.

In 2016, Guinness World Records solved this dilemma with careful measurements of a smash hit by Lukasz Budner in Czestochowa, Poland.  His shot registered 116 Kilometers per hour (72.08 mph).

The record was logged during warm ups for a tournament in Częstochowa Sports Hall.  Earlier this month, Dan Ives of Table Tennis Daily recreated the experiment and used Dimitrij Ovtcharov to measure the smash of one of the world’s best players.  The experiment was even conducted on the same table style and brand as the record attempt at the Butterfly-sponsored event in Poland.  Ovtcharov’s best attempt was 113 Kilometers per hour (70.22 mph).

Check out both videos below: (1) Table Tennis Daily with guest Dimitrij Ovtcharov, and (2) Lukasz Budner’s official Guiness World Record.

Actual World Record Shot (Full article here):

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