HUBBALLI: A 14-year-old girl from Hubballi set a new world record in blindfolded skating here on Thursday morning. Ojal Nalavade, a class 7 student from JDS School in Hubballi, covered a distance of 400 metres in 51 seconds while skating blindfolded.
Officials from the Guinness Book of World Records declared Ojal the fastest blindfolded skater in the world in the 400 metres category. A certificate was given to the winner amid cheers from well-wishers and skating enthusiasts.
The event was held near Chetana College where people had gathered from as early as 5.30 am. There were a total of three attempts and the third attempt was declared as the record. Officials from the Guinness Book of Records had given her a time of 60 seconds to complete the task to achieve the record. Speaking to the media, Ojal expressed happiness and thanked everyone for the support. “My parents, coach and family were a big support. I shall achieve more with their support in future,” she said.
Akshay Suryawanshi, skating coach of Ojal, said she has been practising early in the morning for many days. “Skating fast with blindfold is a rarity. She has achieved it with determination and hard work,” he said
Struggle to create history
It was not less than any struggle for Ojal who has been practising during wee hours everyday on the same road where she scripted the record.Deepa and Sunil Nalavade, the proud parents of Ojal, had no words to express. They thanked all including coaches and staff of Ojal’s school. “We had given a deadline of 60 seconds and below to cover a distance of 400 mtrs. It’s not just skating but the girl had to keep her eyes closed. So it was important for us to know that she could manage to scale the distance without looking at the road,” said Ojal’a father Sunil Nalavade.