Mercury may be in retrograde, but some Indian teenagers are killing it in life and taking India forward at an international level. Just as we’re clinking our glasses after the news that a teenager beat cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar’s international record, yet another teenage prodigy has slid into the scene to win big for India. 14-year-old Ojal Nalavade from the city of Hubli in Karnataka has yeeted her way into the Guinness Book of World Records for covering a distance of 400 metres in 51 seconds on roller skates, all while being blindfolded.
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On Thursday, November 14, people gathered at the event where this class 7 student from JDS High School in Hubli was all set to smash world records. Officials from the Guinness Book of World Records had allotted her three attempts of 60 seconds each to complete the course in order for her to set the new record. But this talented teenager was done in 53 seconds, that too without being able to even see the road she was zipping on, as the crowd clapped and cheered her on.
The girl, who is already quite the record holder with titles in the Asia Book of Records and India Book of Records, was overjoyed as she accepted the certificate and thanked her parents and coach for their endless support. “Skating fast with blindfold is a rarity. She has achieved it with determination and hard work,” her coach, Akshay Suryawanshi, told The New Indian Express, adding that she would practise early morning every day with a steely determination to kick ass at an international level.
Indians have previously featured in this covetable book of records for stuff like being the fastest to type with their nose, the world’s longest mustache, the most crowd gathered for a yoga session and even for the most expensive suit in the world. But what’s even cooler about this achievement is not just that Nalavade picked up an unconventional sport, but that she did it in a country known to have a history of discouraging women to take up experimental sports. So it’s great to see a girl, especially one so young, skate her way into a global record and also our hearts.Follow Shamani Joshi on Instagram.