A 14-year-old girl from Hubballi has achieved a rare feat by creating a world record here by skating blindfolded for nearly half a kilometre, on Thursday morning. Ojal Nalavade, a VII standard girl from Hubballi covered a distance of 400 metres in 51 seconds while skating blindfolded.

The officials from the Guinness Book of World Records declared that Ojal is now the fastest blindfold skater in the world to manage 400 metres. A certificate was given to the winner amidst cheering from well-wishers and skating enthusiasts. The event was held near Chetana College where people had gathered as early as 5.30 am. There were a total of three attempts and the third attempt was declared as the record. The officials from Guinness Book of Records had given her an outer limit of 60 seconds to complete the task.

Expressing her happiness, Ojal thanked everyone for the support. She said, "My parents, coach and family was a big support. I shall achieve more with their support in future." Akshay Suryawanshi, skating coach of Ojal said that she had been practising early in the morning for many days. "Skating faster with a blindfold is a rarity. She has achieved it with determination and hard work."