Six-year-old Om Swaroop Gowda Y has made Bengaluru proud by making it to the Guinness Book of World Records for covering the farthest distance in Limbo Skating under cars.
“You are officially amazing. We have a new record,” said an official adjudicator for Guinness World Records amid loud cheers at the basement in Orion Mall on Sunday. Gowda skated for 65 metres under 36 cars parked in the basement in line.
The boy was second time lucky. His first attempt to achieve the feat was unsuccessful. He was just 10 cars away when he halted and was unable to complete the stretch. A nervous Gowda took counselling from his coach and reassurances from his family to reach the finish mark in his second attempt.
Speaking before the event, Rishi Nath from Guinness World Records said there were several guidelines that ought to be followed. “The minimum distance between the cars cannot be less than 20 cm, the ground clearance cannot exceed 35 cm and no part of the body of the participant below the elbow should touch the ground and the ground should be level with no slopes,” he said.
The boy’s coach, Raghavendra K from RV Skating and Sports Club where he practises, said that he had been learning at the club for two and a half years now. “In the start, he was able to cover a distance of 25 metres.
“He would practise for at least an hour every day and improved gradually. To make it to the book of records, he practised for the past two months,” the coach said.
The boy is a student at Brigade School, Malleswaram. He was inspired by seniors in his club to attempt the record, said his mother Sunitha M. “He started practising at the age of four and a half years. He would practise in the basement of Orion Mall. He was the state champion at the Ballari Open Championship for Limbo Skating. He is also an open district champion, Bengaluru.
Published 18 July 2016, 18:13 IST