Pro skateboarder Tony Hawk was blown away by a nine-year-old skateboarder from Kobe, Japan, who effortlessly pulled off a mind-boggling vertical skateboarding routine.
Ema Kawakami performed three-back-back 900s at Hawk's Vert Alert competition over the weekend.
The difficult maneuver is when a skater completes two and a half aerial spins while airborne.
It is considered one of the most demanding tricks in the skateboarding world, and the nine-year-old crushed it, leaving Hawk, who attended the event, completely gobsmacked and rising to his feet for a standing-o.
In 1999, Hawk—a.k.a. Birdman—performed the first ever documented 900 on his 12th attempt at the X Games V in San Francisco, California, when he was 25.
Here is a clip of Kawakami doing three 900s in succession.
The Japanese prodigy performed his first 900 when he was only seven, further cementing his place in the annals of skateboarding history.
It's worth noting Kawakami's small physique likely contributed to him pulling off back-to-back 900s like a boss.
Young skaters like him have an advantage over adult competitors, since they are lighter and more flexible.
Later in the competition, Kawakami one-upped himself and drew further gasps from the excited crowd when he landed the unthinkable Alley-oop 900, which added another layer of difficulty with the skater rotating in the opposite direction from the ramp.
Online spectators were in awe.
The victor of the event was ultimately 15-year-old Guilherme ‘Gui’ Khury, who performed the world’s first-ever 1080 trick at the 2021 X Games competition.
But Kawakami, who has already made a significant impression at 9 years of age, is sure to astound pros and spectators alike with more incredible feats to come in the near future.
Encyclopedia Britannica
