"151 km/h Without Brakes"... Skateboarder in His 20s Sets Guinness World Record

Spanish Skateboarder Sets Guinness Downhill Record
5 km/h Faster Than the Previous Record
Years of Preparation with Wind Tunnel Training and Custom Gear

A skateboarder has set a record by exceeding 150 km/h while standing on his board.

According to Guinness World Records in the UK and skateboarding outlet Surfer Today, among others, on October 20 local time, Spanish downhill skateboarder Diego Ponslet, 27, reached a top speed of 94.34 mph (about 151.83 km/h) while descending Eboulements Road in the Charlevoix region of Quebec, Canada, on September 22. Guinness World Records officially recognized the feat as a new record in the “downhill skateboarding (standing)” category and posted footage of the run on YouTube and other platforms on October 15.

Record Broken on the Same Road After Nine Years... Wind Made the Difference at 151 km/h

Spanish downhill skateboarder Ponslet Diego, 27, recorded a top speed of 94.34 miles per hour on the Éboulements Road in the Charlevoix region of Quebec, Canada, on the 22nd of last month, according to Guinness World Records.

Downhill skateboarding is a sport in which riders race down sloped roads on skateboards. In this category, the record measures the highest speed reached while standing on the board, without lying down or sitting. Britain's Peter Connolly set a record of 146.73 km/h on this road on September 16, 2017, but Ponslet raised it by about 5 km/h. Eboulements Road is about 1.27 miles (about 2.04 km) long, with a maximum gradient of 18% on a 600-meter straight section.

The new record was already set during the first test run. Ponslet reached 146.88 km/h, surpassing Connolly's record, but waited another five days because the wind conditions were not right. In an interview with his sponsor, Red Bull, he said, “My real goal was to break 93 mph, but I was afraid it might be impossible. When I clocked 91.27 mph on my first run, I couldn't be satisfied. I only felt the thrill once I finally exceeded the target speed.”

Wind made the difference on the day of the record. Ponslet made a total of seven downhill runs that day, three of which exceeded the previous record. According to Guinness adjudicator Andrew Glass, who was present at the event, Ponslet's father watched the trees swaying throughout the runs to gauge whether the wind direction favored his son. The top speed came when a northeast tailwind was blowing at 10-14 km/h.

Years of Training and Custom Gear... A Record in Tribute to the Late Connolly

A sequence shot showing Pongsle crouching low as he comes down. Red Bull official website.

Wearing a blue racing suit, Ponslet launched from the starting line, brought his hands together behind his back, bent his knees and lowered his upper body close to the board. He maintained his balance by crouching to gain speed and raising his body to increase air resistance when he needed to slow down.

He refined this position through years of training. At a wind tunnel in Geneva, Switzerland, Ponslet tested positions that reduced drag and measured how long he could hold them without tiring. He also worked on his flexibility, training to bend his neck until it was close to his knees. Because crouching limited his view ahead, he memorized the entire road and used the white lane markings as reference points.

His equipment was also designed to reduce air resistance. Martin Sigrist, an industrial engineer and former skateboarding world champion, analyzed Ponslet's riding position and designed a carbon-fiber cover that enveloped the skateboard. The racing suit had a textured surface to help air flow along his body and a spoiler structure on the back. His shoes were made of seamless 3D-knit material and fitted with insoles that absorbed road vibrations.

The record also paid tribute to Connolly, who died of an illness last year. Connolly believed it was possible to exceed 150 km/h and encouraged Ponslet to pursue that target on this road. Guinness World Records said, “Ponslet was especially honored to claim the title on the same course where his friend Connolly set a record about 10 years ago.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.