Every year, the competition for the world’s heaviest pumpkin is fierce. The title of the world’s heaviest pumpkin is taken seriously by growers around the world, and the record for the heaviest pumpkin has been broken multiple times over the years.
In 2018, the title went to Switzerland, whose grower Mathias Willemijns claimed the title with a mammoth pumpkin weighing in at a staggering 2,624.6 pounds (1,190.5 kg). Willemijns’ pumpkin was grown in the Belgian town of Ludwigsburg, and during the weigh-in, his pumpkin was measured to be an astounding 8 feet, 1.75 inches in circumference.
Willemijns’ pumpkin was the culmination of months of careful work and dedication, and the Belgian grower was ecstatic when his pumpkin was announced as the world’s heaviest. “It’s crazy,” he said. “It’s the biggest pumpkin in the world.”
Before Willemijns’ record-breaking pumpkin, the title of the world’s heaviest pumpkin had been held by the United States for the past three years. In 2015, the world record was broken by a 2,058-pound pumpkin grown by Tim Mathison of Napa, California. In 2016, Mathison broke his own record with a 2,363-pound pumpkin, and in 2017, the record was again broken by Mathison, who grew a 2,528-pound pumpkin.
As the title of the world’s heaviest pumpkin has been traded back and forth between Switzerland and the United States for the last few years, the competition for the title remains fierce. Growers from around the world are attempting to break the record each year, with some growing pumpkins that are close to breaking the record, but just missing the mark.
It is unclear what the future holds for the world’s heaviest pumpkin record, and it is likely that the record could be broken again in the near future. Until then, Switzerland can proudly claim the title of the world’s heaviest pumpkin, thanks to the efforts of Mathias Willemijns and his record-breaking pumpkin.
