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Hand skating enthusiast Mirko Hanßen (Germany) has rolled his way into the record books by achieving the record for the Fastest 50 m hand skating in just 8.55 seconds. 

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Mirko's impressive feat was achieved in Bocholt, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, where he whizzed down a pavement using the skates.

Mirko invited his friends to watch the attempt, and they cheered him on as he sped towards the finish line.

The time was measured with two light sensors at the start and finish line, as well as with an old fashioned-tape measure and stopwatch.

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The attempt was driven by Mirko's desire to appear in Guinness World Records 2019

"After I was part of some TV shows I want to make the next step and be part of the famous Guinness World Records book."

Mirko's training for hand skating began four years ago, when he decided to take the next step in his skating and try it upside down.

"With a lot of tough training I learned more and more, for example to skate on one hand and to jump over a ramp" Mirko explained.

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It's very hard to maintain balance while upside down (let alone skate!) and it can only be achieved with lots of dedicated training, which Mirko continues to do.

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