The 6-Year-Old Who Shattered Limbo Records After Roller Skating Underneath 39 Cars
Practice makes perfect. That's what they say. Whether it's riding a bike, singing, or juggling, the more you do it, the better you will be. That's how Gagan Satish, an Indian six year old, beat a world record from the streets of his hometown, the very streets where he perfected his craft (via Daily Mail). His sport of choice was not a conventional one though, and when he began practicing at the young age of three (which wasn't very conventional either), he was turned away from local clubs for being too young (via Design You Trust).
But despite all the hurdles (no, he's not into track) he had to overcome, he still became the world's best. The world's best at what, you may ask? Limbo skating... under cars. 39 cars to be exact. A video of this amazing feat can be seen here, which makes us question, how did such a young kid get into such an unconventional, extreme sport? And secondly, what the heck is limbo skating?
The Art of Limbo Skating
Limbo skating is exactly what it sounds like: the marriage of limbo, the art of "how low can you go," and roller skating (via Factinate). Limbo skaters throughout the ages have managed to skate at top speeds, with their faces mere inches from the ground, under objects like poles, cars, and more. Countless young athletes have been crowned "the best" in different categories of the sport, including West Indian teenager Shristi Dharmendra Sharma, 17, who limbo skated under 10 bars in less than two seconds — a Guinness World Record for the fastest speed (via Independent). She has also broken a record for the fastest limbo skate over 164 feet, in just over seven seconds (via Guinness World Records).
While Gagan Satish was not admitted into the Guinness Book of World Records immediately, he was promptly honored by the India Book of Records for the "Farthest Distance in Limbo Skating Under Cars" (via Daily Mail). Months later he was also named by Guinness (via Deccan Herald), but it took a lot of work to get to that point — three years and half of his life, to be exact.
Gagan's Story
In 2014, Gagan Satish (who should now be around 14 years old, eight years later) limbo skated under 39 cars (via Daily Mail) — about 230 feet (via Factinate) or 70 meters (via Design You Trust) — in under 29 seconds. He beat the previous record of 157 feet (or 48 meters) achieved by another Indian youth — from Kolhapur — who was five at the time of the record. But it took Satish a lot of practice to get there. He got his first pair of skates when he was just three years old. When he tried to join a local roller-skating club, they promptly turned him away for being too young.
He trained every day to stay limber, strong, quick, and low to the ground. He would wake up at 5 a.m. before school every day to train his muscles for flexibility, and body for speed and strength. These exercises helped him pick up speed before going into a low limbo and lay near flat on the ground, with his face just inches away. Then, after school, he would practice again. According to his mom, he was hurt frequently, including scratching his face by limbo skating too close to the ground. But he never gave up. Satish said his dream is to someday limbo skate under 100 cars, and he also wants to roller skate in the Olympics.