Six-year-old Salman Sharik Sheik has won first place in the under-8 street skateboarding event at the Karnataka State Skateboarding Championship held in Bengaluru on November 1. The young skateboarder, whose parents hail from Udupi, travelled from Thailand to Bengaluru for the championship.
Salman has now been selected to represent Karnataka at the national championship scheduled in Chintamani in December. According to his family, he is the youngest skateboarder selected from Karnataka for the event, a distinction that has made the achievement special for his family and for the region.
Salman goes to school in Thailand and trains at local skateparks there. His journey in the sport began early, and he started skateboarding at the age of four, showing a natural ease on the board that soon turned into a serious pursuit.
He competed in Pattaya, Thailand, at the ages of four and five, and his family notes that he was the youngest skateboarder at the competition in both years. Those early outings gave him experience of competing against older children and helped him build confidence on the board.
A family that keeps him enjoying the sport
His parents are Sharik Hussain and Saniha Sheik. Supporting his journey has meant making time for practice and encouraging him while letting him enjoy the sport, a balance his family has been careful to keep as his competitions have grown bigger.
Seeing him represent Karnataka is especially meaningful for the family, given their strong roots in Udupi and Mangaluru. The selection carries the name of the state he will represent and the home region his family belongs to, making the moment one of pride for relatives and well-wishers back home.
The trip from Thailand to Bengaluru for the state championship was itself part of the commitment the family has made to his skating. Travelling across countries for a one-day event reflects how seriously they take his talent while keeping his schooling and childhood at the centre of their plans.
At six, Salman is among the youngest competitors to have come through the state championship with a first-place finish in his age group. His selection for the nationals places him among the state's representatives for the December championship in Chintamani, where he will compete against the best young skateboarders from across the country.
Readers can follow Salman's journey on the 'Alpha-Tiger' Instagram page. His family can also be contacted there through direct message for collaborations.
