Gui Khury landed the world's first kickflip body varial 900 in competition at the 2024 X Games Japan in Chiba.
The skateboarder completed the complex skateboarding maneuver in the Japanese event one month after becoming the first rider to nail it at the Green Box skateboard training facility in Paraná.
Khury stomped the kickflip body varial 900 to win the Vert Best Trick final gold medal at the X Games.
The feat earned him the eleventh podium at the X Games and the first gold of his career in this skateboarding event series.
The 15-year-old also broke the teenage record held by multidisciplinary Estonian skier Kelly Sildaru as the under-20 athlete with the most X Games medals.
Gui Khury now has five golds, four silvers, and two bronzes at the iconic action sports competition.
One day before landing the historical air trick, Gui won the Skateboard Vert final. The Brazilian took an early lead in the first run with 88.66 points.
In the third run, Japanese skater Soya Inomata scored 90.00 points, but the Khury responded with a 92.66-point performance to keep the lead.
Gui would then improve even further his tally in the fourth and final run with 93.33 points to seal the deal. Inomata took silver, and American Tom Schaar took bronze with 89.00 points.
Ultimately, the young skater from Curitiba secured three major titles in a month after taking out the vert final at the World Skate Games 2024 in early September.
Gui Khury holds three Guinness World Records.
He is the youngest X Games athlete at ten years and 225 days old, the first skater to land a 1080 on a vert ramp, and the youngest X Games gold medallist at 12 years and 210 days of age.
To put things into perspective, Tony Hawk was 31 years and 45 days old when he first pulled off the 900 at the X Games.
The Kickflip Body Varial 900
A kickflip body varial 900 is an incredibly advanced skateboarding trick that merges two complex movements: a kickflip (board flip) and a body varial (skater's body rotation) but with extreme difficulty due to the skater's rapid 900-degree spin.
Here's how it can be broken down:
1. Kickflip
The trick starts with a kickflip, where the skater uses their front foot to flick the board, making it spin 360 degrees along its horizontal axis (lengthwise).
The movement causes the board to rotate while the athlete remains airborne.
2. Body Varial (900-Degree Rotation)
At the same time, while the board is flipping, the skater spins their body 900 degrees (which equals two and a half full spins).
It's the body varial aspect, where the rider rotates mid-air without the board.
A 900-degree rotation is extremely difficult because it requires the skater to spin their body very quickly while staying in control.
3. Landing
After the board finishes its kickflip and the skater completes the 900-degree spin, the rider must re-align with the board mid-air, catch it with their feet, and land smoothly back on the ground.
Words by Luís MP | Founder of SurferToday.com