Meet Deekshitha Subramony, the 11-year-old record-breaking hula hooper from Kerala

The gymnastics enthusiast also has her name in distinguished record publications like India Book of Records and Future Kalam’s Book of Records, amongst others.

Deekshita’s passion for hula hooping started when she urged her parents to buy her a hula hoop using the tickets she had collected in a mall arcade. She soon started practising the same through the aid of YouTube videos. Later when the world was closed off during the Covid-19-induced lockdown, she joined the online hula hoop classes conducted by Vijayalakshmi Saravanan of Chennai Hoopers, whose pupils have secured multiple world records.

Thanks to the onset of professional guidance and a self-imposed regimen of daily practice — two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening, Deekshita could master the complex four-box split- where one moves fours hoops (one hoop on each hand, one on the neck, and the last one on foot) at the same time.

Talking about the complex process of making a world record, Deekshita told indianexpress.com, “Setting a Guinness World Record was quite an elaborate process. First, my trainer, Mrs Vijayalakshmi and I explored different records available in the Guinness Book of Records and we selected the titles which suited my skills. After this, I trained with stopwatches and aimed for a high rotation count. Once I inched closer to the record-breaking number, we attempted the record”.

Deekshitha Subramony with her Guinness World Records certificates. Image Credits: Subramony V

She further added, “During record attempts, multiple sports witnesses and timekeepers were present. We used to record the video performance from multiple angles using professional photographers and upload the videos and other documents to the Guinness portal. Slow-motion videos are used to count the number of rotations in 30 seconds and a minute. After this, the Guinness team reviewed the evidence and approved my attempt.”

This whole process took about six to seven months before the records were thoroughly verified and awarded. What makes Deekshita’s achievements special is the fact that she learned hula hooping and gymnastics through online mediums as opposed to in-person practice.

Deekshitha Subramony with her Indian Book of Records 2021 certification for “Maximum hula hoop spins around knees in one minute”. Image Credits: India Book of Records

In future, Deekshita aims to break similar records. “I would like to attempt to make records for “most hula hoop rotations around the knees in one minute” and “most hula hoop rotations on the foot in vertical scale position in one minute,” she said.

In India, hula hooping is still seen as an unconventional activity. What Deeshita achieved could not have been possible without the support of her parents, who encouraged her despite not knowing much about the gymnastic sport themselves.

“Living in a small district in Kerala, we struggled a lot to find a good trainer for her. If we speak about hula hoop many people are not aware of what this actually is. However, looking at Deekshita’s sustained interest in the sport, we encouraged her in whatever way we could. We bought hoops of all sizes for her. From one hoop that she had two years back now, she has 18 hoops of different sizes and weights. We hope she represents India in the Olympics someday,” her father Subramony V, told indianexpress.com.