Eight-year-old Ayaan Mendon from Mangaluru became the youngest person in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa on August 4.
On the morning of the August 4, Ayaan stood against the sign reading ‘Uhuru Peak’ in bold, holding the Indian flag after finishing a eight-day hike to Kilimanjaro.
Ayaan Mendon is from Mangaluru who resides in Dubai. He is currently studying at the North London Collegiate School Dubai. Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro has been on his bucket list since he was six. Wanting to be part of a former hike with his parents to Mount Elbrus and being young, he was promised to be taken on for the next hike.
On a practice hike in Nepal, he did very well, which gave his parents the confidence to take him to Kilimanjaro. There starts the planning and preparation for Kilimanjaro.
The training was not easy. Ayaan loves to train with his swimming squad (Proactive Academy) and his trainer (Coach Tariq) for boxing and other workouts. Ayaan is very energetic and is always ready for adventures. Ayaan had trained himself for two years unknowingly that it was to achieve this feat.
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