Skateboarding

Swiss skateboarder manuals for over two kilometres | Simon Stricker’s Manual


Swiss skateboarder Simon Stricker just did 2.17km with an average speed of 31.5 km/h while performing a manual. On a street skateboard! The Bernina Pass is better known as a gateway for skiers but the Swiss route acted as the backdrop for a skateboard record. Swiss competitor Simon Stricker hit speeds of up to 45km/h as he shattered the previous best for a manual. At an average speed of 31.5 km/h, Stricker needed to achieve a distance of 1.5 kilometres on two wheels alone (hence, with his skateboard tipped upwards), facing a perilous balancing act for the duration of the record attempt. Speaking beforehand, he explained that he couldn’t “underestimate the speed” and warned of “overcoming different passages” of the route. But despite the challenge, Stricker broke the record and went some way beyond, his front wheels eventually touching down on the target after covering 2.173km leading to celebrations from the skateboarder and his team. Afterwards, he said: “As far as I know, this should be the world record.” He described the location as the perfect spot for the record attempt, the surface “relatively even” but “an even downward slope – not too steep and not too flat”.