June 27, 1999: Tony Hawk lands world’s first 900 on a skateboard — 20 years ago, today… It’s the dawn of a new millennium. YouTube doesn’t exist. Cell phones barely work. And the 900 aerial on a skateboard has never been successfully landed by a skateboarder.
X Games is five years deep. Descending on San Francisco, the event has already pushed the boundaries of action sports. But another event remains: Skateboard Vert Best Trick. It wasn’t meant to happen. Tony Hawk thought he would struggle with the varial 720 for the majority of the competition, but he landed it early and started toying with an old idea: The 900.
Hawk had attempted the 900 many times in the past, but had never landed it. No one had. This time, at X Games, something felt different. He started coming close to landing, and continued pushing. The time on the competition eventually expired, and the television producers told Hawk to keep on trying the trick. Minutes later, with the world watching, Tony Hawk landed the world’s first 900 on a skateboard at X Games.
That moment was twenty years ago, and we still celebrate Tony Hawk’s boundless commitment to progression today. It’s part of our DNA at X Games, and we’re thankful that Tony helped us write it. Long live the 900!
Featuring commentary from Jagger Eaton, Kelvin Hoefler, Nyjah Huston, Elliot Sloan, Mitchie Brusco, Tony Hawk, Andy MacDonald, Colin McKay and Sal Masekela.