While some Nintendo Speedrunners have been having a good week, others aren’t faring quite so well. One, in particular, has had his hopes of achieving a world record in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe shattered by mere seconds as a wayward spiked Blue Shell stalled his kart moments before the finish line. The infamous Blue Shell has been known to cause countless arguments among friends and family for its impossibly powerful effect on the leading racer but never has its impact been felt quite so harshly.
The devastating moment came as speedrunner Skilloz_ rushed toward the finish that would cement him the world record for the 200cc Star Cup circuit. As he rocketed down the slopes of Wario Mountain he noticed that an NPC racer had just launched a Blue Shell his way. Confident in his ability to dodge the incoming attack, he even notes to viewers, “I think we can outrun it.”
Fortunately for us, the entire thing was streamed live on his Twitch channel, along with several other attempts at Mario Kart 8 Deluxe records, all of which make for some tense, enjoyable viewing. In spite of his best efforts, which included some very nifty jumping and boosting, the Blue Shell found its target as the finish line came into clear view. The slight delay was also accompanied by a Lightning strike power up, causing Skilloz_ to miss the world record by a literal second. Despite failing to achieve the record, his finishing time of 07:38 is still a personal best for the streamer.
To his credit, Skilloz_ took the setback with good humor, laughing to himself while coming only slightly undone over the ridiculously unlucky timing of the whole thing. He took to Twitter after the incident to lament the loss by posting a screencap of his racer, Donkey Kong, jokingly stating that he knew it wasn’t DK’s fault.
You can watch the full Twitch stream here, though if you’re looking for the Blue Shell moment skip to 24:27.
