Tony Hawk's spin record broken by 11-year-old skater

Skateboarding prodigy Gui Khury managed three mid-air rotations on a vertical ramp, breaking the 900 degree mark set by Tony Hawk in 1999

Skateboarder Gui Khury, aged 11, practising at his grandmother's farm in Brazil on May 12, days after his record-breaking feat. Reuters

It was a record that seemed too unbelievable to set, let alone break.

When Tony Hawk became the first skateboarder to spin 900 degrees – 2.5 mid-air turns – on a vertical half-pipe at the 1999 X Games, the crowd in San Francisco burst into a thunderous cheer.

It was an incredible feat that the US skateboarder only managed to achieve after 12 attempts.

Fewer than a dozen skateboarders have since successfully matched the record, but none of them managed to rotate more than 900 degrees. Until now, more than 20 years later.

An 11-year-old Brazilian skateboarder, Gui Khury, has made skateboarding history after he completed three mid-air rotations on a vertical ramp in his grandmother's farm.

The skateboarding prodigy posted a video on his Instagram on Saturday, May 9, proving that he had set a record with his 1080 degree turn.

“1080!!!I have no words to explain what just happened...” Khury – who also met Hawk’s 900 degree record when he was just eight-years-old – wrote in his caption for the video.

Speaking to Reuters, Khury expressed his disbelief and excitement at breaking the record, saying: "I was like, oh my God, what did I just do? I was just like OK, I landed it. Now I am going to celebrate.”

The boy’s celebration was eating “mac and cheese” with his family.

Khury was quick to share the video with some of the biggest names in skateboarding, even sending it to Hawk himself.

"I sent it to all my favourite skaters, like Tony Hawk, Bob Burnquist, and Neal Mims," he said. "Some posted it on their stories and some actually posted it on their Instagram. I was like that's so crazy because it's like a once in a lifetime experience."

The skater’s father, Ricardo Khury Filho, told Reuters that the feat came in part due to the measures brought by the coronavirus pandemic.

Khury reportedly practised on the vertical ramp and street course the family had built in Khury’s grandmother’s farm.

"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.

"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."