Los Angeles, California - When Kanya Sesser was born without legs, it's unlikely that her parents thought that one day she would become a high-achieving athlete. Yet, that's exactly what happened.

Skateboarding can be a tricky and intricate sport at the best of times, requiring great balance and a lot of practice to do well.

But for Kanya Sesser, who was born without legs, it was just another challenge waiting for her to conquer it.

A champion athlete, she now holds a remarkable skateboarding world record despite the difficulties imposed by her condition.

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This is her story.

Kanya Sesser, a 31-year-old woman who was born without legs, recently secured a world record for the longest handstand on a skateboard. The record was extraordinary, seeing her balance for 19.65 seconds while holding herself upside-down on top of her skateboard, and was officially published by Guinness World Records on July 24, 2024.

At 31-years-old, Sesser has achieved a lot in her relatively short life, despite having a very difficult backstory. A model and athlete, she has competed in all sorts of different competitions, from surfing to skateboarding, and has played all sorts of different sports – wheelchair racing, swimming, hockey, wheelchair rugby, and more.

Even her skateboarding tricks don't end with her nearly 20 seconds upside down on the board. She has been riding for years, and has mastered all sorts of different skateboard tricks. Her favorite is the 50/50 grind, which involves her sliding along an edge or rail.

"I love those tricks because it’s just fun to do them and maneuver my body," said Sesser in an interview published on Guinness World Records.

"If you skate, you skate no matter what board you ride. As long as you’re having fun that’s all it matters."

Sesser trains nearly every day, pursuing excellence in her various sports and showing a lot of discipline. She explains it by saying that it makes her "feel good to be strong," especially considering her condition.

"Skateboarding is a lifestyle and I feel free like there’s no limit. I can just ride how I want to, and feel like I’m a part of something awesome with the whole skateboarding culture community."

Kanya Sesser was born with a congenital absence of both legs, putting her in a position where succeeding in life was already going to be more difficult than for most. This was made worse, though, when her birth parents seemingly abandoned her by the side of the road.

A passer-by luckily found her after hearing her crying (at the time, Sesser was just a tiny baby) as she was walking past a Buddhist temple in Pak Chong, Thailand. Sesser was quickly taken to a hospital, where it was discovered that she didn't have any legs.

This was where Sesser got her first bit of luck, as she was looked after for the next few years by a nurse at the hospital. What made matters better, though, was when an American family adopted her and brought her to Portland, Oregon in 1998. It was a monumental moment and the start of a remarkable life.

Over the years, as Sesser developed she started yearning for independence and taking on different activities to help her achieve such goals. She was outgoing and determined, and loved to play with her friends in the neighborhood – she even became a model!

After a while, she decided to become an athlete and began her Paralympic journey: "I first started as a Paralympic track athlete, as a T54 athlete in sprint races for wheelchair track racing, where I had my own custom track chair that’s specifically for the track."

"I was the 3rd fastest woman in the world and have qualified in the World Cup in Switzerland back in 2012, and have gotten an all-star medal," explained Sesser, before revealing just how important her connection with skating and competing has been to her life.

"I have connections with other skaters and adaptive competitions and athletes to skate with, but also build a great community so we can keep the adaptive skate going throughout other generations."

Sesser's journey is a pretty remarkable one, and certainly inspiring. It just goes to show that with a good level of skill and ability, and a lot of determination, things are often not as impossible as they may seem.