Arisa Trew was the first female skater to do a 720 trick, i.e. two full turns in the air. Tony Hawk, who was the first man to do the trick, saw the performance on the spot.
Tony Hawk is considered a skateboarding revolutionist: in 1985, the American legend was the first skater to do a 720 trick with a grab, two full turns in the air. 14 years later, he managed to add half a lap more to the jump.
The 55-year-old Hawk watched over the weekend in Salt Lake City, when the 13-year-old Arisa Trew succeeded in 720 tricks in competition as the first woman in history. The Tony Hawk Vert Alert event, named after Hawk, was organized by the NBA basketball team Utah Jazz and the Finnish star Lauri Markkanen in the home arena.
– The arena exploded with applause, Hawk described the atmosphere on Instagram.
Australia’s Trew had received advice from Hawk on how to do a two-lap trick before his historic performance on the near-vertical vert ramp. Trew’s trick is called frontside 720 indy, i.e. two laps in the direction of the back with wheels indy-grab.
– I can’t really believe that I succeeded in the 720 trick for the first time! And that I’m the first girl to do it, Trew beamed on Instagram.
Despite his young age, Trew has become one of the favorites in the summer Olympics in Paris to be competed in a year from now – as long as he is selected for the Games. Trew says that he also enjoys being on a surfboard.
Coach Trevor Ward said Trew has a great attitude and a lot of ambition.
– We knew that he would succeed in the trick soon. But we didn’t think it would happen in international races, but rather on our home track in Australia,” Ward wrote on Instagram.
Updated at 9:16 p.m.: Fixed Hawk doing the 900 trick, or two and a half laps, 14 years after the 720 trick.