Meet this little boy from India who can bend his body to such extremities it’s made him a star.
Rishabh Jha, 11, can wrap his legs under his torso, twist his legs over his head and bend his back 180 degrees so his feet sit on the floor next to his head thanks to his dedication to yoga.
And the little fella dreams of becoming the most flexible man in the world.
‘I’ve always loved doing yoga and now I can do all these great things with my body,’ he said. ‘I can sit in weird positions all day long and it doesn’t hurt. My dream is to become the most flexible man on the planet.’
Rishabh, from Gurgaon, in Haryana, northern India, is a yoga prodigy and believes his flexible talents are thanks to the five years he has dedicated to learning the Indian sport.
But aged just 11 his positions can rival that of any professional contortionists. His hero is Russia’s 21-year-old Alexey Goloborodko who is currently known as the World’s Most Flexible Human on the Planet but he has his heart set on beating his record.
I want the world to know what I can do and I would love people to come and see me perform on stage all over the world.’
Rishabh has been trained by Devendra Kumar Bhardwaj, 29, who runs Acro Yoga Academy, in Gurgaon.
Bhardwaj remembered how Rishabh was like any other boy of his age when he joined the group in 2011.
‘Rishabh is dedicated, he has good discipline and thanks to sheer hard work he is where he is today.’
Rishabh also appeared on India’s Got Talent with a group called Enthrall Crew, which reached the semifinals in season five.
Bhardwaj trains boys of all ages free of cost, and at least 15 have won medals on national levels.
And Rishabh loves the fame and attention he receives after his success at competitions.
‘Whenever I win a competition my teachers and friends want to know all about it. Other boys ask me how it feels to be so flexible and they praise me and call me ‘Bendy Boy’ for fun. I really love the attention.’
His mother, Nirbha Jha, 35, said Rishabh got into yoga after his older brother Rahul, 17, started.
She said: ‘His brother had always done yoga and Rishabh used to cry because he wanted to follow in his foot steps but we never expected his flexibility to be so good.
‘I believe he’ll be a yoga teacher when he’s older but no ordinary teacher, he’s determined to be the most flexible person in the world and we’ll support him all the way.’
