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Paralympic athlete and surfer, Hollywood actress and runway model, 31-year-old Kanya is a force to be reckoned with, and can now add a world record title to her long list of triumphs.
She has successfully completed the longest Handstand on a Skateboard (LA3) – an impressive feat that saw her supporting herself on her hands atop her board for a whopping 19.65 sec.
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0:00
When I'm on a skateboard, I don't feel trapped
0:02
I feel free, and I live my life through my skateboard. Feels like it's a part of me
0:06
It's part of my soul. My story is so incredible, and I feel like it's a very special part of me
0:14
that characterized me of who I am today. I was found on the side of the road in Pakchong, Thailand
0:20
which is two hours north of Bangkok. Down the street from a woman's house
0:26
they heard a baby cry, and they're wondering, where is this crying coming from
0:31
They got a flashlight, and they came up to hear where the sound was coming from
0:37
and I was found literally on the side of the road with all these trees and all these tall grasses
0:45
and you probably could never find me if I didn't cry. There was dirt on my face
0:50
I had mosquito bites, so they kind of guessed I was there for probably a day
0:55
We don't know who my birth parents is. There's no note. There's no nothing
1:00
While they called the Pakchong Police Department, they was about to give me a bath
1:05
and she was feeling me, and she's like, something feels different. I was kind of small for my age, too
1:11
so it was kind of like, what is going on? And they unwrapped me
1:15
and they found out that I had no legs, and they looked, and there's no indication of amputation, which is good
1:22
That means I wasn't kidnapped from my family, from gangsters out there
1:27
and put them into who knows, you know? And that happens a lot in those countries
1:31
but I was just born this way. I live with a two-older couple
1:36
and they pretty much took care of me till I was adopted of May 1998
1:41
through Jane and David Sessor, who are my parents, loving parents now
1:45
that adopted me, came here to America when I was just five years old
1:48
and was raised and living in Portland, Oregon, and who would have thought
1:53
just because you come from a family that doesn't want you doesn't mean there's another family
1:58
that would love to show you what family and love is, and even though they're not blood, they show you love
2:04
My mom told me that ever since I was younger, she was like, you know, you're so hyper
2:09
We had to get you back inside. You sneak out through the window as a kid
2:13
and I was like, peace out, but my dad was all like, we just kind of let you
2:17
and they will find you later, but we would hear your wheelchair or skateboard
2:24
I remember going through the patio. I never come home much. I was always outside
2:30
I just want to do everything outside, and my mom was like, okay, we need to put her in sports
2:34
She kind of connected me to Shredders Hospital and Oregon Adaptive Sports
2:39
events and people that they know, track racing, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair tennis
2:45
and to be honest, I was really good at it. I got first place in the 100 meters, 200 meters
2:51
women's relay, and second place, 3K, and I was the third fastest woman in the world
2:57
in 2012 and 2011. I almost made it to London, but I didn't, unfortunately
3:03
because I got one second off of the 100 meters. In life, we grasp and learn new things
3:11
and we discover new things. I feel like it's the genetics in me, how I'm stubborn
3:16
how I could do things on my own, how I do not like help, and I was very serious about that
3:22
and I feel like it just has to deal with who I am as a person. I know what's right for myself, and I feel like
3:28
if I feel comfortable, I do things for myself, and I think I kind of do it naturally
3:33
When I was younger, I just kind of walk on my hands, walk upstairs on myself
3:38
I climb on shelves to get to the ice, and I climb with my hands like a monkey
3:44
and I adapt that through my own self because I think it has to deal with this is all I know
3:49
This is what I have, and I have to go through it
3:53
on my own ways. Going through obstacles and going through things on my own personally kind of gained my strong mentality
4:03
to have a big perspective on life, and I was just like, hey, no legs, no limits
4:09
and that's my motto is no legs, no limits because I saw that, that there's no limitations
4:14
to anything of what I do, whether you have legs or you don't have legs
4:18
I mean, I feel like we all have some type of disability in some ways, whether it's mental or physical
4:23
but we all have challenges. Pretty much what it does is that's the engine
4:29
when you go down, and then you push down for brakes. So this is all a 90-degree angle push-pull hand control
4:39
and I just drive like this. I got invited to the X Games back in 2019
4:45
and it was just so incredible because my coach at the time for skateboarding
4:50
gathered up all the adaptive skate, female and male, adaptive skaters, blind, amputees, all that
4:56
and we kind of showed up at the X Games and showed them that, yo, we can skate
5:00
and kind of did a whole skateboarding demo plus competition, and it was just so incredible
5:05
to just be there and experience everything and got to skate the street course
5:09
and got to skate the bowl course, which is really gnarly. When I'm on a skateboard, I don't feel trapped
5:17
I feel free, and I live my life through my skateboard because skateboarding and the skateboard
5:23
is just part of me. It's like part of my legs, and I think that's so incredible
5:27
that I can just have something to just move around, but also feel so good when I just skate
5:35
The wind is coming through my hair. I'm vibing it. It just feels like it's a part of me
5:40
It's part of my soul. Everywhere I go or skating in skate parks
5:45
I see a lot of kids, and they're kind of curious. Like, I had a kid come up to me today
5:50
How do you skate without legs? And, you know, and I tell them I skate with my hands
5:54
and just kind of educate them on how someone without legs can skate with their hands
5:59
and do tricks, and they get very impressed by that. How I achieved the handstands
6:04
actually, I was just been skating ever since I was like nine years old
6:09
One day, just like, hey, let me see if I can just, like, balance myself on a skateboard
6:15
but lift my body up, and I'm half a body anyway, and just, like, lift myself up, and I'm light
6:20
So I can just do it and just go with it and flow with the board
6:25
I was, like, practicing all month. I already know I got it because when you've done it
6:30
most of your life anyways, and you have done it in many different videos
6:35
and that's, like, your signature trick or move, it just naturally comes to me
6:45
Oh my gosh, that was awesome! I love how much followers I have
6:50
and I really respect all my fans and people, you know, that follow me, and I appreciate it
6:55
but I'm not really about, like, that fame life and all that, but I love it, you know
7:00
But I'm not like, oh, wow, look at me, you know? But I feel like everywhere that I go
7:05
people come up to me and just be like, besides just skateboarding
7:08
they're like, wow, aren't you, like, that chick that was in the Fear of the Walking Dead
7:13
or The Walking Dead or this and that? I'm like, yeah, that's me, or like, and I don't think it's just about not having legs
7:18
I think it also has to deal with who I am as a person and what you bring out to people
7:23
and how you vibe and your reputation and your personality. You know, you show who you are, you show your aura
7:30
and I think that gravitates towards people with anybody that has a high energy like myself
7:35
I'm like an Energizer bunny. As much as I don't really care for the fame
7:39
or how many followers, I feel like networking and social media really helped me
7:43
along the way of who I am today. I'm so beyond stoked that I just achieved
7:50
one of the biggest records ever, which is the Guinness World Records title
7:56
which is the longest handstands on a board without legs. As a female woman, it just feels so beyond blessed
8:03
and amazing. I'm so proud of myself. I'm so proud of my team
8:10
I'm so proud of my team. I'm so proud of my team. I'm so proud of my team
8:15
I'm so proud of my team. I'm so proud of my team. I'm so proud of my team
8:19
I'm so proud of my team. I'm so proud of my team. I'm so proud of my team
8:23
I'm so proud of my team. I'm so proud of my team. I'm so proud of my team
8:27
I'm so proud of my team. I'm so proud of my team. I'm so proud of my team
8:31
I'm so proud of my team. I'm so proud of my team. I'm so proud of my team
8:34
I'm so proud of my team
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