Tony Hawk’s Iconic 900-Degree Spin Record Bested by 11-Year-Old Skater

Skateboarder Tony Hawk set a world record in 1999 when he became the first person to land a 900 (a 2.5-revolution spin). He did so at the age of 31, but now an 11-year-old has broken his record. A Brazilian skateboarder named Gui Khury successfully landed a 1080.

“1080!!! I have no words to explain what just happened,” Khury wrote in the caption of his Instagram post. He posted a video of his feat, which showed him breaking the record from multiple angles. Tom Schaar previously achieved the 1080, which is three full spins, but he did so on a mega ramp. Khury broke the record on a standard vert ramp, and he chose to celebrate by eating mac and cheese.

According to Khury’s father, the extra time at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic has provided the young skateboarder with opportunities to train. There is no school, which has affected his daily life and his eating habits. He has been able to work on executing the trick and breaking the decades-old record.

“The isolation for the coronavirus helped because he had a life that was about school and he didn’t have a lot of time to train, when he got home from school he was tired,” Ricardo Khury Filho said, per HIGHSNOBIETY. “So now he is at home more, he eats better, and he has more time to train and can focus more on the training, so that has helped.” Khury is also the youngest skateboarder to complete a 900-degree turn at the age of 8.

Ricardo explained that the family has been visiting Khury’s grandmother regularly for two reasons. They have been delivering food during the pandemic, but they have also been setting up training sessions. The family previously built a vertical ramp, bowl and street course in her backyard.

Khury’s father said that having the facilities has helped him avoid being stuck at home during the pandemic. Instead of missing out on training sessions, he has been putting in work and striving to break longstanding records. “So the isolation helped him focus,” Ricardo said.

Now that Khury has broken one record, there are questions about whether or not he will tackle the next. Mitchie Brusco became the first person ever to land a 1260 during the 2019 X Games, but he did so on a mega ramp. Skateboarding fans now wonder if Khury can achieve this feat on a vertical ramp.