Look out, skateboarders: there’s a new kid in town! 13-year-old Arisa Trew from Australia successfully completed an impressive 720 at Tony Hawk’s Vert Alert competition in Salt Lake City. Originally executed by Tony himself in 1985, this maneuver involves two full 360 turns in mid-air (hence, 720). Not only did Arisa win the women’s competition and take home a generous chunk of prize money, but she also made history as the first female skateboarder to perform this particular trick!
Created by Tony Hawk, Vert Alert is a competition that focuses on vert, short for vertical skateboarding. Including male and female athletes, the two-day event qualifies winners for the X Games in California.
“I’m just trying to give vert more of a venue and more of a voice in the world of skateboarding,” Tony said, according to My Modern Met. “And this event is exactly that.”
The skateboarding legend helped Arisa prepare for the 720 before the event. Although she wasn’t quite able to nail the trick during practice, she came through during the competition! Skateboarding school Trev Ward Academy, part of Australia’s LVLUP AUSÂ sports facility, congratulated Arisa on her big win.
“Arisa landed the trick outside of time but became the first girl in history to land the 720 in competition,” they wrote. “We knew it was coming soon. We just didn’t expect it to be on the world stage rather than on our vert ramp back home in Australia. Arisa has an amazing mindset and will power to succeed. Congrats Arisa you are amazing.”Â
After the competition, Arisa posted a photo of herself and her runners-up holding their victory jerseys. She thanked everyone who helped her along the way, and congratulated her competitors.
“I’m so happy to have come 1st at @thvertalert,” she wrote under a photo of herself holding up her 1st place jersey. “Congrats to everyone who competed especially 🥈 @asahikaihara ðŸ¥‰ @reese__nelson. Thanks @tonyhawk for such an amazing event.”
Watch the video below to see Arisa’s incredible performance at Vert Alert.
You can find the source of this story’s featured image here.
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