The reason why the radical sport of limbo skating is so impressive is because it needs skill and preparation as well as a daring attitude. People who take this up as a hobby put on roller skates (even on their hands, sometimes) and attempt to whizz under obstacles without coming into contact with them. This can get very intense, as some athletes will by-pass near to the ground obstructions by virtually doing the splits or leaning over till their faces are nearly touching the ground.
Some Super Kids
As one would expect, having smaller bodies, the world records in this activity all seem to have been attained by children. Still, having an edge doesn’t detract from how impressive their achievements were. A great deal of practice, dexterity and aptitude went into honing their talents.
Zoey Beda, a seven year old girl in the US, merited the pet name “Roller Limbo Princess” when she secured the first record for doing limbo skating backward. She is the earliest person to attempt this. She managed to set this personal best with her body 30cm from the floor. While an adept athlete can skate forward about 30cm above a surface, little Zoey has gone as low as 18cm.
Also taking up reverse limbo skating is 11 year old, Kaitlyn Conner. She triumphed by going backward the longest, earning her a place in the record books. What’s impressive is how she managed to gain appropriate momentum while going backward. Still, Kaitlyn managed to clear 23 bars spaced out over 3.65 metres.
The award for longest limbo skating blindfolded, goes to nine year old Rohan Ajit Kokane, a pupil from St. Xavier’s High School of Belgium. 17cm from the ground, this boy passed under a car completely blind, displaying phenomenal flexibility, balance and ability. He bested the old record for backward skating with 16.5cm clearance, almost half as much as the original one; defeated his own record by performing the same sightless feat under three cars and aims to surpass it once more with four. He has suffered a minor back injury from rehearsing his talent, but he is still going strong. His family hopes these successes will gain him scholarships and get him further in life.
One of the most remarkable of the bunch is the six year old Indian boy, Aniket Ramesh Chindak, who wowed everyone with the longest limbo-skating. Aiming to bypass over a hundred cars eventually, he set the bar by speeding under 57 cars in 45 seconds. This astounding child began when he was only eighteen months old. He trains for four hours a day and skates nearly 100km a week, sulking when he is made to stop, in pursuit of his hundred car goal. He wants to set a score no one can defeat for a long time.
Despite how dangerous this activity sounds, no one’s ever been badly injured or died from the sport. As an extreme sport it is definitely in the top ten, helping children reach physical fitness and attain their athletic goals world-wide.
