A.Mallcom Nathan, is a 35 year old fitness freak from Thiruvanmiyur. This multi-sports enthusiast has played football and participated and won many marathons and cycling events since 2017.
The lockdown of 2020-21 too couldn’t stop him from keeping up with his fitness. “While we were all confined to our homes, I was wondering of ways to keep up fitness. I found skipping ideal,” says Mallcom who explains about transitioning from a high mobility sport to a more stationary sport – skipping, “Skipping is a very high stamina game. It might look simple, but it is not.”
When he started out, he couldn’t skip for more than 10 mins. “I realised that I needed to build a lot of strength to continue further. Thus, everyday I pushed myself for just a bit more till I could consistently skip for around half an hour,” explains Mallcom.
Enthused with the vigour of the sport, Mallcom went on to participate and clinch many records in skipping:
- Asia books of records 2021: Skipping continuous for 20.22 minutes while wearing a face mask.
- India Books of Records 2022 (accorded on 28 May 2022): Maximum rope skips in 30 seconds while being blindfolded. He performed 84 rope skips in 30 seconds while being blindfolded.
- International Books of Records 2023 (performed on 11 Jan 2023): The world record for the ‘Most Half Sitting Rope Skips in 1 Minute’. He did 79 reps of half sitting rope skips in 1 minute.
“How did you cope with skipping in half sitting?” I questioned. “It is very difficult as the gluteal muscles take a lot of strain while performing it. But I was determined, and passion drove me through it,” says Mallcom enthusiastically.
Mallcom also has a message for our neighbourhood residents, “Kids and adults alike must come out of their phones and laptops, on the street; Walk for at least 45 mins daily; Exercise regularly; Develop and maintain healthy food habits. When you look at the mirror, and you feel happy about yourself, that’s happiness and you must work towards that.”
Mallcom is a resident of Thiruvanmiyur and can be reached at 99402 30871.
