At 12, Gui Khury surpassed Tony Hawk while competing against him as he became the first skateboarder to land a 1080 on a vert ramp at the X Games
In 1999, Tony Hawk had landed a 900 on a vert ramp at X Games following 10 failed attempts. It has remained a classic moment in pro skateboarding ever since. Only a handful of other skaters have managed to land the trick on a non-mega ramp. This Friday during the X Games Vert Best Trick competition, held at the CA Training Facility (CATF) in Vista, California, 12-year-old Gui Khury surpassed him with a 1080 on the same ramp.
Gui Khury Becomes The Youngest To Land A 1080 On A Non-Mega Vert Ramp At The X Games
The CA Training Facility (CATF) is the only high-performance skateboarding center in the world. Though there were no spectators, the X Games garnered a lot of viewership as Tony Hawk was listed as a surprise addition. While he couldn’t throw down a 900 like he did in 1999, Hawk still performed an impressive full Cab backside 540. Hawk may have attracted the viewers but it was the 12-year-old Brazilian Gui Khury who stole the show.
53-year-old @tonyhawk, skating at #XGames for the first time since 2003.
The parallels between Hawk and Gui Khury: 22 years ago at X Games SF 1999, Hawk became the first to land a 900 on a vert ramp. Hawk did this 9 years before Khury was born (December 18, 2008). pic.twitter.com/NrZs5vzF80
— X Games (@XGames) July 17, 2021
It was a historic moment for Khury when he became the world’s first skateboarder to land a 1080 on a (non-mega) vert ramp in Vert Best Trick. He had surpassed the 900 mark earlier in the skateboard vert contest and in May 2020, had landed a 1080 on a traditional competition-size vert ramp. This Friday, he achieved another feat as he became the youngest gold medalist in X Games history.
To put this in to perspective, this Brazillian kid at 12 years old landed the World’s 1st 1080, 3 full rotations, with Tony Hawk watching on.
Hawk was 31 when he 1st landed a 900, back in 1999. 22 years on!
The youngest gold medalist in X Games history!pic.twitter.com/r5lbBHoLiI
— Derek Watson (@derekwatson89) July 17, 2021
Tony Hawk on coming out of retirement Ahead Of The Tokyo Olympics 2021
Following his victory, Khury addressed Hawk as his idol. He never could have imagined that he would ever be skating with his idol Tony Hawk in a contest. It was a perfect and yet emotional moment as the baton was passed to the next generation of skateboarders; many almost as young as Khury taking over the sport.
Craig McMorris discussed with Tony Hawk his coming out of retirement to skate in Friday’s contest on the broadcast. To this Hawk replied, “If you build it, I will come. There’s a serious lack of vert events nowadays and I gotta support it as best I can. If that means getting involved, I’m in!”