Latest news with #WorldSkate
Japan Times
23-06-2025
- Sport
- Japan Times
World Skate puts brakes on skateboarding's preteen movement with new age limits
More than almost any other sport, skateboarding features a wide range of age groups. It's not uncommon to see 10-year-olds competing alongside athletes in their 40s. With its free-spirited nature that shuns rules, skateboarding is hugely popular among young athletes looking for an outlet for their creativity and individuality. That youthful exuberance was on display at the recently completed X Games in Osaka, where 10-year-olds like Ema Kawakami of Japan and Mia Kretzer of Australia thrilled the crowds at Kyocera Dome Osaka with their high-flying tricks. But the ability of preteens to take part in high-level competitions is now being reconsidered. Starting this year, the World Skate Federation is phasing in a minimum age for World Skateboarding Tour events. Skateboarders must have been born in 2014 or earlier to compete in tour events in 2025. The World Skateboarding Tour has been running for the past three seasons and served as the sole qualification pathway to the Paris Olympics. Following the Paris Games, World Skate released a statement that said 'it has been established that a minimum age of 14 years old will be implemented for athletes participating in the World Skateboarding Tour from 2028 onwards." The minimum age of 11 this year will be raised one year each in 2026, 2027 and 2028 so that when the LA Olympics roll around in 2028, the minimum age will be 14. Even though Kretzer's preferred discipline, skateboard vert, is not an Olympic event, she does have aspirations to follow in the footsteps of her compatriot Arisa Trew and compete in the Olympics. Last year, Kretzer became the youngest gold medal winner in X Games history when she won a skateboard vert best trick event in Ventura, California, at 9 years, 8 months. She's not thrilled with the new guidelines created by World Skate. 'I don't think it's fair because it shouldn't be about age, it should be about how well you skate,' Kretzer said after finishing fourth in women's vert at the X Games. 'Being in the Olympics is definitely something I'm dreaming of and that I would really love to do.' As she will only be 13 in 2028, the LA Olympics are out of the question. Kretzer's first chance to fulfill her dream would be on home soil at the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane. It's easy to see why the federation would want to set guidelines. Some young athletes have suffered serious injuries preparing for major tournaments. British-Japanese skateboarder Sky Brown suffered a fractured skull and a broken wrist after a fall on a halfpipe ramp in 2020 while training in California when she was just 12. She was flown to a hospital and was reported to be unresponsive. Her father said afterward she was 'lucky to be alive.' Brown recovered to win the women's park gold medal at the X Games in 2021 and then took part in the Tokyo Olympics at the age of 13. Then, there is the question of burnout. The intense amount of practice required to succeed in high-level competitions can be a lot to handle for kids who have yet to reach their teens. Trew, who on Sunday became the winningest female athlete in X Games history with seven gold medals at the tender age of 15, sees both sides of the argument. 'When I went to the Olympics at 14, I thought that was a really good age,' Trew said. 'I understand why they don't want (the minimum age) to be too young because they don't want kids to burn out early. 'But at the same time, there are some very talented young athletes out there, so there are two sides to the argument,' the Paris Olympic champion in skateboard park added. Indeed, if such age restrictions were in place, Trew might not have developed into the outstanding competitor she has become. Ema Kawakami (center) speaks before the X Games at Kyocera Dome Osaka. Kawakami, 10, competed against men twice his age and size in the skateboard vert competition. | X Games Kawakami impressed at the X Games in Osaka, competing against men twice his age and size in the skateboard vert competition. He became the youngest person to land a '900' when he did so at the age of 7 in August of 2022 Last summer at the age of 9, he became the first person to land three consecutive 900s, completing the feat at Tony Hawk's Vert Alert competition. A 900 is a trick that involves a 2½ aerial spin done in midair after flying off the U-shaped halfpipe ramp. It is widely considered one of the most technically demanding tricks in skateboarding, but it also comes with considerable risk of injury. When skateboarding made its debut at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, the average age was 14. The new age restriction for the LA Games would have ruled out some of Japan's previous winners. The gold medal in the women's street event in Tokyo was won by Japanese skater Momiji Nishiya, who was only 13 at the time. She was joined on the podium by Brazilian Rayssa Leal, who was also 13. Cocona Hiraki took silver in the park event at the Tokyo Olympics three weeks before her 13th birthday. Recent domestic competitions in Japan have featured participants between the ages of 7 and 10. A skateboarding powerhouse, Japan has produced a record seven Olympic skateboarding medalists since the sport made its debut at the Tokyo Games. Japan's street skateboarding head coach Daisuke Hayakawa endorsed the new age restriction. 'I think it's a good decision,' Hayakawa told Kyodo News. 'We can't overlook the risk of children attempting (tricks) while lacking the basis for skills or being physically immature.' With the move, skateboarding joins other sports with age limits such as gymnastics, where you can't compete until you are 16, or boxing, which requires participants to be over 18. The International Olympic Committee introduced tighter age restrictions for figure skating after Russian Kamila Valieva, who was 15 at the time, tested positive for a banned substance at the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing.
Yahoo
16-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Monster Energy's Toa Sasaki Takes Second Place In Men's Skateboard Street at WST World Cup Rome 2025
18-Year-Old from Mie, Japan, Takes Podium Spot in Competition Sanctioned by World Skate ROME, June 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- What a final! Monster Energy congratulates team rider Toa Sasaki on taking second place in Men's Skateboard Street at the World Skateboarding Tour (WST) World Cup Rome 2025 on Sunday. In the official event organized by World Skate, the 18-year-old from Mie, Japan, claimed his podium spot in a heavy final full of high scores and never-been-done tricks. Sanctioned by World Skate, the official governing body for skateboarding in the Olympics, the WST World Cup Rome featured the world's best park and street skateboarders from June 1-15. After crowning winners in the park discipline this past weekend, Sunday culminated a week of street skateboarding competitions at Colle Oppio Skatepark overlooking the world-famous Colosseum. The Men's Skateboard Street final featured eight of the world's best street skateboarders, including Olympic gold medalists and X Games champions. In this elite field, 18-year-old Toa Sasaki from Mie, Japan, dropped in as a podium contender after claiming an upset victory in the World Skate Games Italy 2024 contest. As trick levels in Sunday's final escalated, Sasaki put together a perfect line in the Run section on his second attempt to rise to the top of the leaderboard. Standouts including bank to rail backside noseblunt slide, 360 kickflip the bump, frontside kickflip the quarter pipe, and huge backside 360 the centerpiece to flat earned Sasaki one of the weekend's highest Run scores at 92.86 points. Maintaining his focus in the Best Trick section, Sasaki finessed a gap-out Caballerial to fakie nosegrind on the Hubba ledge for 95.07 points on his first attempt. When all was said and done, Sasaki took home second place with a total score of 187.93 points amidst an all-Japanese podium in this season opener of the 2025 World Skateboarding Tour (WST). Also skating at the highest level in the final, 24-year-old Giovanni Vianna from Santo Andre, Brazil, commanded a spot in the top three for the majority of the session. Building on an 83.88-point Run score, Vianna earned a strong 95.06 points on his first Best Trick attempt. Next, Vianna stoked the crowd with a never-been-done trick: A gap-out Caballerial to switch backside Smith grind on the tall Hubba netted 96.93 points, marking the fourth-highest trick score ever awarded in WST competition. When the session wrapped, Vianna walked away in fourth place with a total score of 180.81 points. The previous weekend, the Men's Skateboard Park event at the WST World Cup Rome 2025 saw 14-year-old Monster Army team rider Egoitz Bijueska from Spain claim first place. In Women's Skateboard Park, 15-year-old Monster Army team rider Arisa Trew from Palm Beach, Australia, took second place, and 16-year-old Cocona Hiraki from Hokkaido, Japan, finished in third place. What's next on the World Skateboarding Tour (WST)? Stay tuned for the WST 2025 World Championships in Washington, DC from September 19-28. Also, make sure to catch the Monster Energy team at X Games Osaka 2025 this coming weekend from June 20-22! For more on Toa Sasaki, Giovanni Vianna, and the Monster Energy skateboarding team, visit Follow Monster Energy on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok for exclusive updates as the action sports season continues. For interview or photo requests, contact Kim Dresser. About Monster EnergyBased in Corona, California, Monster Energy is the leading marketer of energy drinks and alternative beverages. Refusing to acknowledge the traditional, Monster Energy supports the scene and sport. Whether motocross, off-road, NASCAR, MMA, BMX, surf, snowboard, ski, skateboard, or the rock and roll lifestyle, Monster Energy is a brand that believes in authenticity and the core of what its sports, athletes, and musicians represent. More than a drink, it's the way of life lived by athletes, bands, believers, and fans. See more about Monster Energy including all of its drinks at CONTACT: Kim Dresser C: (949) 300-5546 E: View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Monster Energy Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Monster Army Rider Egoitz Bijueska Takes First Place In Men's Skateboard Park at WST World Cup Rome 2025
14-Year-Old from Bilbao, Spain, Takes Victory in Contest Sanctioned by World Skate 15-Year-Old Monster Army Rider Arisa Trew from Palm Beach, Australia, Takes 2nd Place in Women's Skateboard Park Final 16-Year-Old Monster Energy Rider Cocona Hiraki Claims 3rd Place in Down-to-the-Wire Final ROME, June 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Monster Energy congratulates Monster Army team rider Egoitz Bijueska on taking first place in the Men's Skateboard Park discipline at the World Skateboarding Tour (WST) World Cup Rome 2025. In the international competition hosted by the World Skate Association, the 14-year-old from Bilbao, Spain, earned the victory in a highly contested final. In the Women's Skateboard Park event, 15-year-old Monster Army team rider Arisa Trew from Palm Beach, Australia, took second place. Also rising to the podium, 16-year-old Cocona Hiraki from Hokkaido, Japan, clinched a spot in the top three on her last run of the contest. From June 1-15, the WST World Cup Rome features the world's leading athletes in skateboarding competitions across street and park disciplines. Sanctioned by World Skate, the official governing body for skateboarding in the Olympics, the event featured men's and women's skateboard park competitions at the vertical bowl in Ostia, Lido di Roma, this weekend. The season's first skateboarding World Cup will also feature skateboard street competitions with finals on Sunday, June 15. The Men's Skateboard Park final culminated in a major surprise when 14-year-old Monster Army rider Egoitz Bijueska from Spain clinched the victory. Working the park with a perfect run including a backside 540 melon, backside Smith grind over the love seat, backside ollie transfer, alley-oop kickflip Indy, backside 540 stalefish, hip transfer to backside lipslide, blunt slide transfer over the channel, alley-oop body varial kickflip Indy over the hip, backside tailslide shove-it the corner, frontside varial flip Indy fakie, Cab 720 Weddle, and alley-oop backside air the hip, Bijueska earned the day's highest score of 94.50 points for first place. In the Women's Skateboard Park final on Sunday, Arisa Trew entered as a podium favorite after emerging from the weekend's semifinals in third place. The Australian skateboarding phenomenon put down her highest-scoring run on the second attempt: Combining a huge McTwist in the deep end, backside 540 melon, hip transfer to frontside lipslide, kickflip Indy, Weddle air transfer, backside 360 Indy to fakie, frontside Cab 360 stalefish, ollie blunt fakie, and switch McTwist on the final wall earned Trew 92.43 points and second place in the heated final. Trew was joined on the podium by Olympic silver medalist and X Games champion Cocona Hiraki. Hiraki qualified for Sunday's final as the top rider but found herself bumped into fourth place when the final runs of the contest rolled around. Putting everything on the line, Hiraki strung together a perfect run featuring backside nosegrind over the love seat, backside tailslide, backside kickflip the deep end, channel transfer backside lipslide, hip transfer frontside nosegrind to lipslide, lien to tailslide, kickflip Indy the channel, frontside Smith grind to feeble spine transfer, backside crail slide and Indy air over the teardrop for 91.62 points and third place. Stay tuned when WST World Cup Rome returns with street skateboarding finals this coming weekend from June 14-15 at Colle Oppio Skatepark overlooking the Colosseum. Visit for exclusive updates from the 2025 skateboarding season, including photos, videos, and contest results as they happen. Follow Monster Energy on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok. For interview or photo requests, contact Kim Dresser. About Monster EnergyBased in Corona, California, Monster Energy is the leading marketer of energy drinks and alternative beverages. Refusing to acknowledge the traditional, Monster Energy supports the scene and sport. Whether motocross, off-road, NASCAR, MMA, BMX, surf, snowboard, ski, skateboard, or the rock and roll lifestyle, Monster Energy is a brand that believes in authenticity and the core of what its sports, athletes and musicians represent. More than a drink, it's the way of life lived by athletes, bands, believers, and fans. See more about Monster Energy including all of its drinks at CONTACT: Kim Dresser C: (949) 300-5546 E: View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Monster Energy
Kyodo News
02-06-2025
- Sport
- Kyodo News
Skateboarding: Powerhouse Japan welcomes new Olympic age limit
KYODO NEWS - Jun 1, 2025 - 13:52 | Sports, All Despite the potential impact on its medal prospects, skateboarding powerhouse Japan has welcomed the new Olympic age limit restricting competition to athletes 14 and older from the 2028 Los Angeles Games. Governing body World Skate decided in April to institute the limit, which would have ruled some of Japan's previous Olympic medal-winning skateboarders ineligible. Japan's street skateboarding head coach Daisuke Hayakawa has nevertheless endorsed the new restriction against the backdrop of increasingly severe injuries, including ligament ruptures, being reported among growing children in many countries as the technical difficulty of tricks continues to rise. "I think it's a good decision. We can't overlook the risk of children attempting them while lacking the basis (for skills) or being physically immature," he said. Among Japan's record seven Olympic skateboarding medalists since the sport debuted at the 2021 Tokyo Games, Momiji Nishiya won women's street gold in Tokyo at 13 and Cocona Hiraki took park silver at 12, while Coco Yoshizawa was 14 when she triumphed in women's street in Paris last summer. Hayakawa believes the average age of the Japan national team would naturally not go any lower, as the stars who emerged at the Tokyo Games reach their peak years. He added that children's lighter bodyweights are not necessarily an advantage for aerial maneuvers that also require sufficient leg power. While World Skate also mandated a minimum age of 12 for other international tournaments, Japanese organizers kept recent domestic competitions in Kanagawa and Mie prefectures open to future stars aged between 7 and 10. With youngsters often drawn more to the culture of skateboarding than to competition, parents and children at the events did not seem too concerned by the latest developments. "My dream is to skate in a cool way. The Olympics isn't really a target," a 10-year-old at one of the events said. World Skate Japan has decided not to set an age limit for domestic tournaments amid the latest news, its board member Hitoshi Murakami said. "There might be changes in the growing process of children aiming for the Olympics from Los Angeles onward," he said. "We'll think about how we can support children of those ages." The International Olympic Committee started tightening age restrictions to protect child athletes after Russian figure skating prodigy Kamila Valieva tested positive for a banned substance at the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing. "I believe this change (in skateboarding) is also related to the IOC's policy," said Murakami, who expects little opposition in Japan to the new limit. Related coverage: Snowboarding: 6-time Olympian Tomoka Takeuchi to retire after 1 more season Golf: Chisato Iwai wins 1st U.S. tour title in Mexico
Kyodo News
01-06-2025
- Sport
- Kyodo News
Skateboarding: Powerhouse Japan welcomes new Olympic age limit
KYODO NEWS - 11 minutes ago - 13:52 | Sports, All Despite the potential impact on its medal prospects, skateboarding powerhouse Japan has welcomed the new Olympic age limit restricting competition to athletes 14 and older from the 2028 Los Angeles Games. Governing body World Skate decided in April to institute the limit, which would have ruled some of Japan's previous Olympic medal-winning skateboarders ineligible. Japan's street skateboarding head coach Daisuke Hayakawa has nevertheless endorsed the new restriction against the backdrop of increasingly severe injuries, including ligament ruptures, being reported among growing children in many countries as the technical difficulty of tricks continues to rise. "I think it's a good decision. We can't overlook the risk of children attempting them while lacking the basis (for skills) or being physically immature," he said. Among Japan's record seven Olympic skateboarding medalists since the sport debuted at the 2021 Tokyo Games, Momiji Nishiya won women's street gold in Tokyo at 13 and Cocona Hiraki took park silver at 12, while Coco Yoshizawa was 14 when she triumphed in women's street in Paris last summer. Hayakawa believes the average age of the Japan national team would naturally not go any lower, as the stars who emerged at the Tokyo Games reach their peak years. He added that children's lighter bodyweights are not necessarily an advantage for aerial maneuvers that also require sufficient leg power. While World Skate also mandated a minimum age of 12 for other international tournaments, Japanese organizers kept recent domestic competitions in Kanagawa and Mie prefectures open to future stars aged between 7 and 10. With youngsters often drawn more to the culture of skateboarding than to competition, parents and children at the events did not seem too concerned by the latest developments. "My dream is to skate in a cool way. The Olympics isn't really a target," a 10-year-old at one of the events said. World Skate Japan has decided not to set an age limit for domestic tournaments amid the latest news, its board member Hitoshi Murakami said. "There might be changes in the growing process of children aiming for the Olympics from Los Angeles onward," he said. "We'll think about how we can support children of those ages." The International Olympic Committee started tightening age restrictions to protect child athletes after Russian figure skating prodigy Kamila Valieva tested positive for a banned substance at the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing. "I believe this change (in skateboarding) is also related to the IOC's policy," said Murakami, who expects little opposition in Japan to the new limit. Related coverage: Snowboarding: 6-time Olympian Tomoka Takeuchi to retire after 1 more season Golf: Chisato Iwai wins 1st U.S. tour title in Mexico
