A SPANISH skateboarder has become the fastest in history after hitting a speed of 151.83 km/h on a mountain road in Canada.
Diego Poncelet, a 27-year-old Red Bull athlete, set the Guinness World Records title for the fastest skateboard speed in a standing position on September 22.
The achievement was kept secret until last Thursday.
The record run, at 94.34 mph, took place on a closed section of Route des Éboulements in Quebec, Canada and beat the previous best of 146.73 km/h, set in 2017.
Mexican-born Poncelet won the Downhill Skateboarding World Championships in 2022 and 2023 and had been chasing the speed record for years.
After years of preparation, and of waiting for the right wind, temperature and road conditions, he broke the record by a narrow margin on his first attempt.
That run reached 146.88 km/h, but he was not satisfied. He waited five days for better conditions before going again.
On the record-breaking run, he caught a 10 to 14 km/h tailwind from the northeast during a short window as the wind changed direction.
He said he was only “completely ecstatic” once he passed 151 km/h.
The road is around 2.2 km long, with a maximum gradient of 18% and a steep 600-metre straight.
“I knew falling was not an option,” said Poncelet, when reflecting on the danger he faced during the attempt.
His preparation included wind tunnel testing, aerodynamic racing gear and specialist equipment to maximise speed and stability.
The run was also a tribute to the late British skater Pete Connolly, who set the previous world record on the same Canadian hill and inspired Poncelet to chase the milestone.
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