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In the realm of racquet sports (badminton, fives, pelota mixteca, pickleball, racquetball, tennis, squash, table tennis, etc) none produces faster shots than badminton. While the world record for tennis serve speed currently stands at 163.7 mph (263.4 kph), badminton smashes routinely breach that mark.

FASTEST BADMINTON SMASH EVER

In the summer of 2013, Yonex, the world’s top producer of badminton racquets, brought together Malaysia’s Tan Boon Heong and Lee Chong Wei for the purpose of breaking the Guinness World Record for fastest badminton hit. Using the Yonex Nanoray Z-Speed badminton racket, they took aim at smashing Heung’s previous record of 261.6 mph (421 kph).

Malaysia's Tan Boon Heong holds Guinness World Record for fastest badminton smash

In the end, both men breached the former standard. Lee managed a smash speed of 283.3 mph (456 kph), while Tan established the new world record at a blistering 306.3 mph (493 kph).

YONEX NANORAY Z-SPEED

Nanoflex Z-Speed badminton racquet from Yonex

The Yonex Nanoray Z-Speed is able to slice through the air faster than conventional badminton racquets by slightly elongating the stem, reducing the head size, and introducing a subtle flex in the frame.

FASTEST SMASH IN COMPETITION

The fastest smash achieved in actual competition belongs to Denmark’s Mads Pieler Kolding, who unleashed a shot timed at 264.7 mph (426 kph) playing for the Chennai Smashers in India’s 2017 Premier League.