by, Jo Carol Hebert

“Don’t Try This At Home!

Gui Khury flew off a vertical skate ramp and spun three times in the air to land on the downslope ‘on board’. This ‘first’ was done at the X GAMES 2021 in the Pacifico Skateboard Vert Best Trick event. Gui, an amazing athlete, achieved the feat on his seventh and final try. (If at first you don’t succeed, ‘try, try again!)  For this successful endeavor, he received a Guinness Book of World Records title.

Back to the Future

Tony Hawk, skateboard icon, was at the top of the ramp to watch the youngster top his own ‘900’ trick record (two air turns) done back in 1999. Hawk, 53 years old, congratulated the Brazilian wonder. (Gui also pulled a ‘900’ when he was 8 years old.) 

The X GAMES

. . . an extreme sports competition initiated in 1995 in Providence and Newport, Rhode Island, USA. At Summer and Winter locations, athletes from across the globe vie for Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals, money and prizes.  Along with Skateboarding, events are Motocross (motorcycles), BMX (bicycles), Snowboarding, and Snowmobiling. 

Born to Skate

Gui’s father had a skateboard set aside for him the day he was born. At the age of 4, he was training at the Y.M.C.A. in Encinitas, California.  The next year, Gui was ‘dropping in on *halfpipes’ and vaulting above the vertical tip of the ramp at high speeds.

(*a halfpipe is a constructed surface for extreme sports with two concave ramps face to face with a flat transition between them and a flat area at the top of each ramp).

Back in Curitiba, Brazil, Gui practiced on a ramp built in his grandmother’s garden.

At ten, he became a Guinness World Records title holder for the ‘youngest X Games athlete in the Skateboard Vert elimination round’ in Minneapolis, Minnesota on July 31, 2019.

Just the Beginning

Gui hopes to continue breaking record titles. Next goal: a ‘1260’ on a vertical ramp, (3.5 rotations in the air).

Gui has a good word for kids: “If I ever get the chance to advise any other kid in the world who wants to break records or pursue their passions, I would say, if you want to do something, believe in it, and you can do it!”

Look for more ‘Kids Can Do!” posts on amazing kids like you! Check out Smarty Pants Sports Categories posts.