Cape Town - Not even a global pandemic could stand in the way of a local skater breaking records.
Jean-Marc Johannes, 29, holds five skateboarding Guinness World Records after recording the most nollies in half a minute this week.
Johannes, from Athlone, did 21 nollies in 30 seconds at Rondebosch Bowl on International Olympic Day.
A nollie, you ask? A nollie is a skateboarding trick where the skateboarder uses his front foot to push the nose of the board down and slides his back foot backwards to achieve lift-off from the ground.
Johannes broke US skater Ivan Sebastian Cordova’s 10-year record.
“I’m very happy and humbled to have been able to achieve another record - and two in one year. It has always been a dream to break a record and once I gained the confidence to do one, I’ve aimed to continue to push myself even further. Breaking five Guinness World Records is more than a dream come true. I hope breaking another record will inspire athletes to push themselves in their sport.”
Johannes had his sights set on being one of the first skateboarders to represent the continent at the Olympic Games, which have been postponed to next year.
“To me, my way of bouncing back is to stay strong and focused. I’ve increased my training greatly and put myself to the physical test to break records. At the start of the year I was prepared for the Olympics but with the postponement I’ve had time to train and feel more than ready. My goals are to finish my studies, focus on training for the global showpiece and inspire South African skateboarding,” he said.
Not even asthma could stop him.
“I was immediately taken by the sport because it was limitless and that is all I wanted to experience at the time. Thankfully, it taught me all these lessons and gave me the confidence to believe that I am my own limitation and that anything is possible.”
His girlfriend, Roxanne Morris, described him as ambitious, kind
and talented.
Johannes shows off some of his awards and commendations. Picture: Brendan Megaar/African News Agency (ANA)
“I am very proud of him and all of his achievements because he has managed to build a career out of something that is very difficult to do in South Africa. He had to work extremely hard to achieve his goals and he never had anything handed to him,” she said.
Marco Morgan, a member of the South African Skateboarding Federation and the National Skate Collective, said: “Jean-Marc is a determined athlete who has integrated the principles of skateboarding in approaching the obstacles and opportunities in life and sport. Skaters have paid close attention to his resilience and will to achieve and it continues to be an inspiring journey to watch and enjoy,” he said.
“More and more we are seeing skaters chart new territories to conquer and Jean-Marc is a pioneer in this sense, continuously unlocking levels to this game.”