Model born with out legs and dumped on the street as a child is now a document breaker
A woman born without legs and webbed fingers is now an athlete, model, actress and Guinness World Record holder.
Kanya Sesser cast aside what many would deem obstacles to become a force to be reckoned with. The determined 31-year-old from Portland, Oregon, has a list of achievements that would put even the most pro-active among us in the shade.
From Paralympic athlete and surfer to Hollywood actress and runway model, Kanya has been there and done the lot. Now she’s added a world record title for skating to her ever growing CV of personal triumphs.
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Kanya completed the longest Handstand on a Skateboard (LA3), which saw her supporting herself on her hands atop her board for 19.65 sec.
The record, which was achieved in Los Angeles, California, was in the LA3 category, which refers to an absence of both legs from above the knees.
“I think it’s one of the life-changing career moments that have happened to me,” she said about her record-breaking handstand.
Born in 1992 with a congenital absence of both legs, the 31-year-old skateboarder had a rough start in life.
When she was only an infant, Kanya was found at the side of the road by a woman who was passing by a Buddhist temple school in Pak Chong, Thailand.
(Image: Erik Isakson/Guinness World Records)
She was taken to a hospital where personnel took care of her until she was adopted by an American family in May 1998. Kanya moved to Portland where she grew up with her parents, Jane and Dave, and her two older brothers.
During her initial time in America, Kanya faced a number of difficulties, and remembers that the language barrier was one of the most frustrating obstacles.
She also had webbed fingers which saw her having to undergo several surgeries on her hands.
But none of this held Kanya back, who looked back on her youth and described herself as a “wild child”.
The ever evolving youngster surrounded herself with friends, and joined the cheerleading squad until her first year of high school. In high school, she also landed her first modelling gig.
She also explored various adaptive sports like wheelchair racing, wheelchair rugby, swimming, and sledge hockey due to her curiosity for trying new things.
It was then that she discovered skateboarding and immediately fell in love.
(Image: Erik Isakson/Guinness World Records)
While she cultivated her newfound passion, she was also succeeding as a track and field athlete.
Although she has retired as a track athlete, that was only the beginning of a professional career which saw her embark on a string of successes which secured her an invite to the X Games in 2019.
She also competed in the Dew Tour 2022 in Des Moines, Iowa, where she placed second in women’s street adaptive skateboarding.
(Image: Guinness World Records)
When not on a skateboard, you can find Kanya in front of the lens or on a catwalk.
The athlete appeared in music videos, movies and TV shows including the 2022 movie Babylon and TV series The Walking Dead and Hawaii Five-0.
Her modeling in a more inclusive fashion industry and has seen her work for Abercrombie and Fitch, Sephora, Sweaty Betty and Adidas Skateboard.
She made her official debut on the catwalk during the Victoria’s Secret Runway for NYFW 2023. Kanya’s record-breaking antics will feature in Guinness World Records 2025, which is out in September.
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