One of South Africa’s most decorated skateboarders is aiming to glide his way into history yet again.
Jean-marc Johannes, 33, from Athlone is set on becoming the first South African to make 10 international podiums in skateboarding.
He plans on doing this at one of the Fise World Series events this year.
This includes next month’s Fise Métropole Tour in France, which will be the first stop for Johannes.
He said it is always an honour to compete at competitions, whether it is local or international.
“Winning one international podium seemed impossible at the time, however, to be one podium away from ten is a dream come true.
“Competing on an international level is everything I have dreamed of, it’s challenging and fun. I’m grateful to be able to skate with others from around the world and learn from them,” he said.
Johannes has been breaking records since 2016. More recently he did seven 360 frontside spins in 30 seconds, beating the previous record of six. He also broke the record for the most conductive ollies. It was 312 but Johannes did 323.
“It gave me a lot of motivation to go bigger and dream bigger in 2024.
“I am constantly motivated by other athletes who have achieved their goals.
“Skateboarding is more than just learning tricks as it teaches us perseverance and resilience,” he said.
His conditioning coach, Mark Whelan, described him as a fierce competitor.
“He is the epitome of a professional athlete in the way he conducts himself on a daily basis. It would be an incredible achievement (for him to make more history),” he said.