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Isn’t skateboarding the coolest sport ever?! 🛹
One advantage of skateboarding is that you can start at any age – but Ema Kawakami, a talented 9-year-old from Japan, discovered his love for it very early on, at the age of 5.
His amazing skill and passion led him to perform on our TV talent show Lo Show dei Record in Milan, Italy, and break a world record in front of a large, stunned crowd!
His record?
He achieved the most backside 540 skateboard tricks in one minute, nailing 8 jumps.
His incredible achievement even earned him a spot within the pages of Guinness World Records 2025.
Ema was 5 and a half when he competed in his first skateboarding tournament.
He told us: “[It was] about half a year after picking up skateboard. I don’t have a lot of recollection of it, but I remember everyone was getting excited and I was having fun.”
What’s your favourite sport?
A few years later, Ema became super famous when he was filmed landing an amazing trick: a 2-and-a-half spin jump called a "900"!
This trick is so cool that skateboarding legend Tony Hawk was the first to land it over 20 years ago. 🤯
In fact, after that Tony Hawk himself followed Ema on social media…
How would you react if your BIGGEST IDOL saw your videos? 🤩
Ema told us about this experience:
“When my dad told me, I was thrilled! […] I was speechless when he shared my video because I realized he’d seen me skateboarding.”
What a dream come true!
So in early 2024, Ema travelled from Japan allll the way to Italy to break a record in front of an excited audience.
And he truly loved every second of it:
“Everything was fun because I’ve never been overseas before. Although I was nervous with the camera, everyone was kind, and ended really quickly… So, I wanted to skate more!
“It was also fun exploring Milan on trains and busses. I made skateboard friends too.
“I definitely want to return!”
Have you ever travelled abroad? What is your dream destination? ✈️
Of course, practising for the record was not easy at all…
“When I was continuously performing 540s on the vertical ramp, it was less about how much I could spin and more about not getting too dizzy!”
But Ema is very dedicated to skateboarding – he practises about 4-5 times a week, and each session lasts 3-4 hours. 😮
Following your dreams takes courage, hard work, and never giving up—even when things get tough!
Apart from skateboarding, Ema likes to watch videos of rap battles and even do rap battles with his younger brother.
A rap battle is a fun contest where two people take turns rapping clever rhymes to outdo each other. 😎
Would you like to start skateboarding?
This is Ema’s advice:
“I really advise people to skate with your friends. It’s more fun than doing it by yourself, and it’s great to make friends at the park.
“Skateboarding became even more fun because I get to visit different places in Japan, and meeting a lot of friends outside of Japan.”
Sharing your passions with friends makes the journey more exciting, helps you learn from each other, and gives you support when you need it. 💪
Congratulations, Ema, you are Officially Amazing!
Are you into fingerboarding? It is basically a mini skateboard that you ride... with your fingers. 🤪
Get on it and show everyone how agile your fingers are, by breaking a world record exclusively for people under 16 years old (so you don’t have to compete unfairly alongside the grownups)!
Click here to find out more.