The biggest competition that he has won was the vert contest at the 2001 X-Games. Before his final run- the last run of the event- Burnquist was sitting in second place behind two-time defending champion Bucky Lasek. He produced a flawless run, including multiple tricks that had never been seen before, and as a result, were unnamed. During the run, commentator Tony Hawk went hoarse and nearly lost his voice while screaming in disbelief. He was rewarded with a 98, the highest score ever given in any X-Games skateboarding event.