Brazilian skateboarder Gui Khury has achieved two Guinness World Records titles: the first skateboarder to land a ‘1080’ on a vertical ramp and the youngest X Games athlete - both at the age of 11! 😲
He achieved the daring 1080 stunt just weeks ago at a skate park near his home in Southern Brazil.
Since the local schools were closed because of lockdown, Gui began to skate more than usual.
"I train 3 hours a day and when I go to practice the 1080, I warm up doing three 720 spins, which are 3 spins in the air.”
The added down time gave him the perfect opportunity to tackle the 1080 despite how challenging the move is.
This was a feat he had wanted to conquer ever since seeing Tony Hawk’s impressive 900 (a skater who happens to be one of his idols).
Now, Gui has rocked both the skater world and the real world – having done a trick that most skaters spend their careers pursuing.
After being awarded his certificates, he was ecstatic to be recognized for his hard work and love of the sport, and how far he’d come from the very beginning.
Gui’s journey in skateboarding started at a very young age.
His father, Ricardo Khury, encouraged him to practice and would look for local skateparks to help him improve.
At the age of four, he started training at the Y.M.C.A in Encinitas, California, and by five he was dropping in on halfpipes, vaulting above the lip of the vertical ramp at high speeds.
"I love flying high and doing maneuvers while I'm in the air. That's why I love the ramp called the Mega Ramp, but my favorite is the vertical ramp. I also love making friends and competing.”
In 2019, he was invited to the X Games in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
At 10 years and 225 days, he became the official Guinness World Records record holder for being the youngest X Games athlete.
He is now part of a select list of skaters at the forefront of the sport and practising for an even more challenging move - the 1260 turn (three and a half turns in the air).
For now, Gui just wants to inspire other people to believe in their dreams and do what they really like even If it seems impossible.
"If you want to do something, believe it and you can do it."
We’ll see if he breaks a third Guinness World Records title after he lands the 1260!
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