Sharjah: A nine-year-old girl in the UAE has been recognised by multiple international books of records for being the fastest in inline-skating 100 metres while simultaneously spinning a hula hoop around her waist in 16.29 seconds.

Sana Shaji, a student of Gems Our Own English School, Sharjah, has earned the recognition in several books of records, including the UK-based British Book of Records and India-based the International Book of Records, Asia Book of Records, India Book of Records, the National Book of World Records, the Champions Book of World Records, Kalam Book of World Records and the Talent Book of Records.

Sana’s achievement was no easy feat. When she was just six in 2021, she had entered some of these record books for spinning a hula hoop around her waist for the longest time at 2 hours, 12 minutes and 57 seconds.

“Since she became an expert in inline-skating as well, she started trying to skate while spinning the hula hoop,” her father Shaji KV told Gulf News.

He said inline-skating is more challenging than roller-skating for many and Sana set a new record by using one hula hoop which is distinct from the Guinness World Record for the fastest 100 m on inline skates while spinning three hula hoops at 19.85 seconds achieved by AS Nithesh in India in 2021.

“At this young age, she decided to attempt the record using only one hula hoop,” he said.

Sana had dedicated herself to intense practice, spending hours each day refining her skill in inline-skating while spinning a hula hoop.

“It took me one year to reach this point,” she recalled.

“It’s really hard to balance while skating, especially with the hula hoop spinning. You need to be fast, or else the hoop will fall and it could also be affected if it is windy. I worked hard every single day to get better at it,” Sana explained.

Her pursuit of excellence was fraught with challenges and setbacks. Sana recalled the times she fell and even injured herself, requiring stitches on her jaw during one of her earlier attempts. “I got four stitches on my jaw,” she recounted.

However, the grade 3 student remained determined. Her latest feat was attempted on February 22 and acknowledged by the record books after evaluations within the weeks that followed.

Sana recalled that she hit the goal despite the unpredictable conditions on the day of her record attempt in the Flag Island in Sharjah. “The wind was a challenge and I had to push through the wind to complete the attempt.”

At just eight years old last year, Sana became the CBSE champion in the UAE in 300m inline-skating in the under-10 category, and she later represented the UAE at the Centre Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) National Meet in India.

Not just a skilled skater, Sana is also a talented gymnast, dancer, and martial artist. She has also dabbled in acting, having appeared in the recent Malayalam film Marco directed by Haneef Adani, which has been released in multiple languages.

Sana’s parents, Shaji KV and Smitha Shaji, have been her biggest supporters. “My parents have been very supportive of my journey. My brother Sreenand, who is going to grade 12 this month, first taught me how to balance the hula hoop when I was a kid. I watched YouTube videos to learn more about balancing it and I am also very thankful to my skating coach Saddam at the AOS Skating Academy for training me further,” she shared.

Her school, Gems Our Own English School in Sharjah, has also been instrumental in supporting her ambitions. “The teachers, especially my principal Asma Gilani, class teacher Jumana Daud and physical education teacher Shafeek Basheer, have been really helpful.”

She also thanked the Indian Association Sharjah for helping certify the measurement of the track for her record attempt.

As she prepares to move to grade 4 in April, Sana continues to balance her studies and extracurricular activities and dreams of becoming an international model in the UAE. “If you work hard, you can achieve anything,” she said.

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