Many stood in wonder as eight-year-old I R Medvin Deva glided beneath bars placed at a height of just nine inches from the ground. A palpable tension filled the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium early on Saturday as Medvin skated for a distance of 40 metres to enter the Asian Book of Records. Loud bursts of cheer erupted when this young talent crossed the finish line, marking a record break.
Medvin now holds the record for limbo skating in nine inches height constraint over a distance of 40 meters. With this feat, the kid has broken the earlier record of 10 inches over a distance of 10 meters held by a 12-year-old from Karnataka.
Judges from Tamil Nadu Book of Records, India Book of Records and Asian Book of Records, announced that Medvin’s achievement overtopped the previous records, setting a new scale for future attempters.
The modest kid attributed his success to his parents and coach. “The constant encouragement from my parents, supporters and the hard training I received from my coach has helped me in all my achievements,” says Medvin with a smile of accomplishment on his face.
Medvin has been learning skating since three years under the guidance of his coach K P Unnikrishnan at Anna Nagar Roller Skating Club. A third standard student of Anna Nagar CSI Ewart’s Matriculation Higher Secondary School, he has received much recognition for his skills. In 2011 Medvin received the gold medal in skating at the district level in Chennai and in 2013 he bagged the silver medal.
“Even as a beginner at the age of three, he got fascinated seeing other roller skaters in action. This interest helped him grasp every nuances taught by his coach and learn balancing as well as skating in a matter of little over four months practice,” says Medvin’s father V I Raju. “He has shown the ability to slip underneath big stationary vehicles and come unscathed on his skaters,” he added.
With this record, Medvin has now raised hopes of excellence in the national level. A champion is in the making!