SAN DIEGO — A Ramona BMX rider just became the youngest person to ever land a triple back flip on a bike. In this Zevely Zone, I reunited with the 12-year-old at YMCA's Clairemont Skate & Bike Park.
Landing a single backflip on a bike takes commitment and courage, so imagine the difficulty of trying to pull off a triple back flip.
On November 24, in Australia, Connor Stitt showed the world you don't need wings to fly and made history doing it. Connor, at age 12, became the youngest person to ever land a triple back flip on a bike.
"It was awesome. I landed it and I was like that is what we were working on for three years?" said Connor.
I first met Connor as a nine-year-old, after he completed a single back flip and featured on a national television network.
"So, like, SP something?" he said at the time. Connor knows all about ESPN now and would like to make a request.
"That would be pretty cool if they posted my triple flip again because that's like two more, so maybe?" said Connor. His jump has been posted on YouTube and viewed around the world.
After practicing the trick for years, the stars aligned for Connor on November 24 in Australia.
"No 12-year-old has even attempted it and he did it first try, ha, so I was beyond thrilled," said Connor's dad John who wasn't about to miss the moment.
"How glad are you that you were rolling with a camera to capture this?" I asked. John said, "I mean pretty glad I guess."
The first triple backflip on a bike was pulled off in 2011 by a 24-year-old.
"The triple flip was a historic thing that happened when the first one was landed now there's a 12-year-old that's doing it," said John. As a 9-year-old, Connor was working on a double backflip when he shared a secret with me. He told me he never gets afraid.
"Uh, that was a lie. I don't think that's possible," said Connor. "You can work through fear, you can't not have fear."
In 2019, after his single back flip, Connor showed no fear in the air or on the dance floor with a victory dance for ages.
Now that he's 12, I asked him if he still dances. "Uh, not as much, the triple flip was more of a celebration." But Connor did dance on air that day, so if certain national sports network just happens to be watching. "ESPN maybe? Posting? You know?" laughed Connor.
Connor's ultimate goal is to win a Gold Medal in the Olympics. For a link to Connor's Instagram page click here.