World Skate has announced that 80 skateboarders have qualified for the rearranged Olympics in Tokyo, when the sport will make its debut in the Games, following the final qualifying events.
There will be 18 nations represented in park and 17 in street skateboarding with each discipline featuring 40 competitors.
In total, there will be 26 countries competing at the Games in skateboarding.
The announcement comes following the conclusion of the 2021 Street Skateboarding World Championships in Rome Italy, which saw three men’s and three women’s athletes qualify for the Games.
There were Japan’s Yuto Horigome and Shora Shirai plus American Nyjah Huston in the men’s competition, and Japan’s Aori Nishimura and Momiji Nishiya plus Brazil’s Rayssa Leal in the women’s.
Another 16 spots were filled via the world rankings, as well as another spot going to the host nation.
Brazil’s Pamela Rosa is the top ranked women in street, while Huston leads the men’s standings.
Men’s Picks,
Nyjah Huston (USA) @5/4 To Take Gold @1/4 For Any Medal.
Nyjah Huston probably looks like any other skateboarder, hanging with friends, grinding rails in the park, doing kickflips off the stairs in front of a library. Later this month Huston will play this misfit role on an international stage as his sport debuts at the Summer Olympics. The four-time world champion arrives in Tokyo with a backstory that includes both prodigious success and struggle a difficult childhood, nagging controversy and legal troubles that go beyond curb side detentions. Though he is already famous with skaters and 4.6 million Instagram followers, the Games could make him a crossover star in much the same way that Shaun White became a household name after snowboarding’s debut at the Winter Olympics.
Sora Shirai (JPN) Gold Medal @9/1 Any Medal @9/4
Sora Shirai is one of the many excellent rippers coming out of Japan. The newcomer has insane street skills, and a deep bag of tricks are up-to-par and battle against the most elite in the competition circuit. Sora proved this point in 2019 by pushing his way from the bottom of the S.L.S. London Olympic qualifier making into the finals and came in seventh place. He then did it again at the Dew Tour Olympic qualifier in Long Beach, where he started in the qualifying rounds and made it to the finals. Sora has the strategy and awareness of when to flick on the switch and begin dropping hammers.
Yuto Horigome (JPN) Gold Medal @2/1 Any Medal @4/9
Japanese skateboarder Yuto Horigome believes a home crowd will enhance his performance at Tokyo 2020 although its thought most events will be behind closed doors, the sport is set to make its Olympic debut. Horigome, speaking to Kyodo News, stated that he also hopes skateboarding can give uplift the home nation after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the postponement of the Games to 2021.
Horigome, 21, will be aiming to become the first men’s Olympic street skateboarding champion come the Games after an impressive last two years.
Women’s Picks,
Rayassa Leal (BRA) Gold Medal @7/2 Any Medal @8/11
Born in 2008, Rayssa is a Brazilian skateboarding sensation slaying it online with banging’ tricks, viral vids, incredible compilations, and over a half a million followers on Instagram. Now Tony Hawk records her red-carpet kickflips on his phone and she goes jamming with friend and fellow pre-teen prodigy Sky Brown. At 11 Leal became the youngest ever skater to win a Women’s Final on the Street League Skateboarding World Tour in Los Angeles ahead of current World No.1 Pamela Rosa and she’s still only 12.
Pamela Rosa (BRA) Gold Medal @5/2 Any Medal @4/7
It’s been said that luck is when opportunity meets preparation. In the case of Pamela Rosa, its true. She was lucky enough to have an indoor skatepark open up near her home the week she started skating, and very lucky to be close to Kelvin Hoefler, but that luck would mean nothing without the determination drive, and natural talent to back it up. Since then, Rosa has travelled the world winning tittles and collecting a long list of dream sponsors.
Momiji Nishiya (JPN) Gold Medal @8/1 Any Medal @2/1
At only 11 years old Nishiya is one of Japans most talented boarders, competing with some of the biggest names in the sport, she has now put herself amongst the top names to take a medal in Skate boarding’s first Olympics showing we believe she will come out here as one of worlds elite taking at least a top 3 spot.
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Image Credit: actionsportnomad.com