Canadian claims world squash record

SIMCOE, Ontario, Oct. 16 (UPI) -- A Canadian man has copped the record for the world's largest squash with one weighing in at 1,486.6 pounds, Guinness World Records has confirmed.

The Toronto Star reported Sunday the huge squash grown by Joel Jarvis of St. Thomas, Ontario, surpassed the previous record of 1,234 pounds.

Jarvis, who broke the record Oct. 1 at the Port Elgin Pumpkinfest, said his achievement was "a long time coming."

"I'm 38 and I have been doing this since I was 11," he said. "Sometimes the wind blows the right way and the sun shines right."

Jarvis, who also grew a prize-winning, 1,426-pound pumpkin this year, estimates he will take in up to $10,000 in various prizes for his horticulture efforts.