Incredible athlete who lost leg in horror accident says parkour saved his life
An inspirational athlete who lost his left leg in a horror tractor accident when he was nine wants to send the message that “nothing is impossible”.
Rubén Roldán says parkour saved his life, and when you see him in action, it’s clear just how much love and passion he has for his sport.
Determined not to let his disability define him, 22-year-old Rubén, from Malaga, Spain, has broken a string of world records that many would have thought impossible.
“Parkour saved my life,” he told us. “It’s shown me that anything is possible.”
Rubén first entered the record books in February 2024 when he appeared on our Italian TV show Lo Show dei Record.
In front of an awe-struck live studio audience, Rubén, without his prosthetic leg, leaped back and forward between two walls as many times as he could.
A total of 13 gave him the record for most consecutive parkour retour jumps (LA1).
The LA1 in the record title refers to our impairment classifications which ensure record breaking is fair and accessible for all.
LA1 refers to a unilateral above-knee amputation.
Following his show-stopping TV stint, we headed off to Spain the following November to spend some time getting to know Rubén, who is supported by the Pho3nix Foundation, a bit better and challenge him to break three more records – all in one day.
As Guinness World Records Adjudicator Will Munford watched on, Rubén first attempted the highest running jump on to a platform (LA1).
“I have to make perfect moves,” Rubén explained. “Perfect strength, perfect distance. Everything has to be perfect.”
To achieve the record, Rubén had to stay on the platform and balance after jumping up.
And he wasn’t wrong about everything having to be perfect.
If Rubén didn’t build up enough momentum, or jump from the right spot, he wasn’t able to reach the top of the platform.
In some attempts, he managed the jump but couldn’t keep his balance.
But with an iron will, he kept going and going until he nailed the leap – securing the record with an astonishing 1.36 m (4.46 ft).
Rubén’s next record attempt was for the farthest standing jump parkour dash (LA1).
He had to jump from one platform to another, landing on his hands and dashing over it, and he had to beat 1.82 m to achieve the record.
Rubén cleared the distance with ease and asked to attempt it again at 2.47 m.
That appeared almost effortless too, and he tried again at 2.66 m, and then again at his final record-setting distance of 2.76 m (9.05 ft).
Still somehow with gas in the tank, Rubén moved on to his third record attempt of the day – the highest vertical leap with a running start (LA1).
He had to reach 1.10 m to claim the record for himself.
Rubén again made multiple leaps, increasing the height he had to reach every time he went.
In the end, he managed a height of 1.30 m (4.2 ft).
The inspirational athlete said: “So, I encourage from here, anyone who has one leg or another difficulty, because everything is possible.
You just have to have the desire to take on the world, it doesn’t matter what people tell you, because the only one who knows what they can do is you.
“You just need the right attitude to be able to achieve whatever you want.”