Goliath at Six Flags Great America earns Guinness record

A long line of anxious and excited thrillseekers waited their turn to for a ride on Goliath, the tallest, steepest and fastest wooden roller-coaster in the world.

Officials at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee kicked off opening weekend with a major announcement.

Gathering near the Goliath roller coaster in the County Fair section of the amusement park, park officials said the ride was officially recognized in Guinness World Records.

Of wooden roller coasters in the world, Goliath, which opened last year, was determined to be the tallest with a 180-foot drop, steepest with an 85-degree first drop and fastest at 72 mph.

Officials displayed the Guinness certificates at Saturday's ceremony.

"We're very excited. I can't wait to go down, I actually stood underneath it and was getting a little anxious," said Deanne Fisher of Antioch. "We're going again, that was good, that was a lot of fun, really good," said Fisher after riding Goliath for the first time.

"Great, fun, best ride ever," said Mark Pawlak of Milwaukee, who rode with his two young sons, Joseph and Isaiah.