Men’s Street
Yuto Horigome (Japan) is the reigning Olympic champion. He’s also been world champion in 2021 and won the X-Games in 2023. Onodera Ginwoo (Japan) is only 14 but showed his class as a 12-year-old when he won a bronze medal at the World Championship. Another compatriot with a World Championship medal is Shirai Sora (Japan) who bronze in 2021. He was also second in the 2023 event in Rome. The winner of the 2022 World Championship was Aurelien Giraud (France) and he finished second in World Street Skateboard Rome 2022. In between Giraud and Ginwoo was Gustavo Ribeiro (Portugal). He won the 2022 World Championship and added to his bronze medals in 2019 and 2021. Kelvin Hoefler (Brazil) is another with a full set of medals, taking gold in 2015, silver in 2018 and bronze in 2017. He’s an Olympic silver medalist and he also won the 2023 Street League Skateboarding event in Chicago. Jagger Eaton (United States) won Olympic bronze in Tokyo but his best performance in a World Championship was fourth in 2021. Compatriot Nyjah Huston (United States) is a six-time world champion with ten X Games titles. He also won the 2023 World Skateboarding Tour event in Rome but at the Olympics he disappointed, only finishing seventh. Vincent Milou (France) was the man who finished fourth in Tokyo and he also has an X-Games 2022 silver. Ryan Decenzo (Canada) took a bronze in 2023 and also got a second in the 2023 Street League Skateboarding event in Chicago. Shane O’Neil (Australia) was the X-Games champion in 2022 and has a World Championship gold from 2016 as well as a couple of silver medals. Felipe Gustavo (Brazil) also has a World Championship bronze, from 2018. Chris Joslin (United States) came second in a Street League Skateboarding event earlier in the year. Richard Tury (Slovakia) was fifth in the 2022 World Championship and a 2024 WST event in Dubai. Other competitors are Brandon Valjalo (South Africa), Cordano Russell (Canada), Jhancarlos Gonzalez (Colombia), Joseph Garbaccio (France), Matias Dell Olio (Argentina), Matt Berger (Canada) and Mauro Iglesias(Argentina).
The three Tokyo Olympic medalists return. I think they may finish in the same order again but there will be other contenders who can knock them off the podium. Hutson was favoured entering Tokyo and was a bit of a disappointment. Recently though he has looked very strong and I think he can gain some retribution for Tokyo. At home, Giraud is also a big contender. He has won major events and an event in Paris so will definitely expect that being at home can bring a performance out of him. Ribeiro has also performed well in Paris and major championships over recent years so I think he can make the podium.
🥇Aurelien Giraud 🇫🇷
🥈Nyjah Huston 🇺🇸
🥉Gustavo Ribeiro 🇵🇹
Men’s Park
Keegan Palmer (Australia) is the reigning Olympic champion but has struggled to win big events since. Palmer finished second at the 2023 X-Games with Tom Schaar (United States) in third. Kieran Woolley (Australia) was the X-Games gold medalist in 2022 and came fourth in the 2022 World Championship. Pedro Barros (Brazil) was fourth at the 2023 X-Games having won an Olympic silver in Tokyo. He’s also got the collection of World Championship medals, winning gold in 2018. The 2023 World Championship gold medal winner was Gavin Bottger (United States). He also has an X-Games silver medal from 2022 and was second in the 2024 WST event in Dubai. Luigi Cini (Brazil) came second in the World Championship ahead of Tate Carew (United States) who won bronze. Danny Leon (Spain) was the winner of the 2024 WST event in Dubai with Viktor Solmunde (Denmark) back in third. Augusto Akio (Brazil) has a World Championship silver medal in 2022 but could only finish fifth in 2023. He was also second at the 2023 Pan-American Games. In third was Steven Pineiro (Puerto Rico). He has an Olympic pedigree, coming sixth in Tokyo. In seventh in Tokyo was Vincent Matheron (France) who will be hopeful that competing in front of a home crowd can spur him on. Both Keefer Wilson (Australia) and Yugo Nagahara (Japan) were in the top eight of the 2023 World Championship. Alain Kortabitarte (Spain), Alessandro Mazzara (Italy), Alex Sorgente (Italy), Andy MacDonald (Great Britain), Dallas Oberholzer (South Africa), Hampus Winberg (Sweden), Thomas Augusto (Portugal) and Tyler Edtmayer (Germany) will also be competing.
This does not feel like the strongest edition of this event. Ultimately I think this comes down to the competitors from Australia, Brazil and the United States. Leon would be the only one that I could see getting on the podium outside of that but even then, I think it is unlikely. I will side with Bottger as the strong of the Americans over Schaar. Woolley is the strongest Australian and I think Barros is the strongest of the Brazilians.
🥇Gavin Bottger 🇺🇸
🥈Pedro Barros 🇧🇷
🥉Jack Woolley 🇦🇺
Women’s Street
Japan has been the strongest country in this category. Funa Nakayama (Japan) won the Olympic bronze in Tokyo. She also won at the 2022 World Street Skateboarding Final. The strongest of the Japanese contingent currently is Liz Akama (Japan). She has won a Street League Skateboarding event this year, won silver at the 2023 X Games and also won the Dubai WST earlier this year. Coco Yoshizawa (Japan) was third and came fourth last year in Lausanne. Rayssa Leal (Brazil) was an Olympic medalist in Tokyo winning silver. She will only be 16 entering the Olympics but has a full collection of World Championship medals. Chloe Covell (Australia) is even younger, being only 14, but managed to finish in between the two to win silver. She won at the 2023 X-Games after taking silver the year before and also took a win at the 2023 Street League Skateboarding event in Tokyo. Pamela Rosa (Brazil) is a former world champion, she won that crown in 2019, before finishing fourth in 2021. She was second at the 2023 Pan-American Games ahead of Paige Heyn (United States) who has consistently been competitive in tour events. As has Roos Zweetloot (Netherlands). She was fifth and the Tokyo Olympics and in 2023 finished third at both the Chicago and Tokyo Street League Skateboarding events. Poe Pinson (United States) was third in the 2024 Apex Street League Skateboarding event. Ahead of her was Zeng Wenhui (China) in second and she competed in Tokyo, finishing sixth. Kent Oldenbeuving (Netherlands) is also competing in her second Olympics despite only being 19. Another former World Championship medalist is Mariah Duran (United States) who won bronze back in 2017. Boipelo Awuah (South Africa), Cui Chenxi (China), Gabriela Mazetto (Brazil), Hayley Powell (South Africa), Jazmin Alvarez (Colombia), Liv Lovelace (Australia), Lucie Schoonheere (France), Vareeraya Sukasem (Thailand) and Zhu Yuanling (China) are all competing.
This could be one of the youngest podiums ever at the Olympics. I feel like this is one of the podiums that has a limited number of possible medalists. Of the Japanese trio, I like Akama the most but Nakayama has obvious claims as well. Rosa is behind compatriot Leal but is another who I would not been shocked if she is on the podium. The other name is Covell and if she can handle the pressure I think that she should be the favourite. She has won at big competitions, including in Paris and has shown strong form this year.
🥇Chloe Covell 🇦🇺
🥈Rayssa Leal 🇧🇷
🥉Liz Akama 🇯🇵
Women’s Park
Again, Japan has the strength in depth here. Sakura Yosozumi (Japan) is the reigning Olympic champion. She was also the 2018 world champion, winning silver in 2019 and bronze in 2022. She also won silver in the 2022 X Games. The silver medalist in Tokyo was Kokona Hiraki (Japan). She also won silver in the 2022 World Championship. The winner and current world champion is Sky Brown (Great Britain). She also won at the 2022 X-Games and will barely turn 16 before the Games begin despite already having a bronze medal from Tokyo. Arisa Trew (Australia) was the 2023 X-Games champion and will be only 14 for the Olympics. She became the first female to land a 720 in competition. Older sister Ruby Trew (Australia) will be 15 but has also been competitive, finishing second in San Juan on the World Skateboard Tour. Hinako Kusaki (Japan) and Minna Stess (United States) were medalists at the 2023 World Championship. Kusaki took silver after finishing fourth in 2022 whilst Stess improved from seventh. Compatriot Bryce Wettstein (United States) finished fifth in 2023, a year after finishing fourth. The fourth-place finisher in 2023 was Raicca Ventura (Brazil) and she was second at the 2023 Pan-American Games. The winner was Fay Ebert (Canada). Naia Laso (Spain) won the 2024 WST event in Dubai. She also finished fifth at the 2023 World Championship ahead of Lily Stoephasius (Germany). Dora Varella (Brazil), Lola Tambling (Great Britain) and Ruby Lilley (United States) have also been in the top ten of major championships. Other competitors include Aya Asaqas (Morocco), Emilie Alexandre (France), Heili Sirvio (Finland), Isadora Pacheco (Brazil), Julia Benedetti (Spain), Nana Taboulet (France) and Zheng Haohao (China).
There is a possibility that Japan can score a clean sweep on the podium here. However, it does feel unlikely. Kusaki is probably the weakest of the Japanese contingent despite finishing second and fourth at the last two World Championships. Stess is the strongest of the Americans but ultimately I think it comes down to Brown and Arisa Trew to break into the podium places. It is another young podium and I edge to Brown who at her best looks capable of scoring big points. As does Trew, but her lack of Olympic experience could harm her and I think she finishes just outside the podium.
🥇Sky Brown 🇬🇧
🥈Kokona Hiraki 🇯🇵
🥉Sakura Yosozumi 🇯🇵
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