SKATEBOARDING Preview: First Olympic qualifier underway in London

World Champion Nyjah Huston of the U.S.

The sport of Skateboarding is beginning the process of qualifying for its first-ever Olympic appearance in 2020. This week’s World Skate/SLS competition features street competition, one of the two Tokyo 2020 (also Park).

In London, the men’s and women’s division have an open qualifying round. For the men, the top 10 will advance to the quarterfinals to compete with the 21-38 finishers in the last World Championship. The top 10 from the quarterfinals will advance to the semis to compete with the top 20 in the World Championships; the top eight will make it to the final.

For the women, the top 12 from the qualifying round will advance to the semifinals. They will compete with the top 18 from the last World Championships, with the top eight advancing to the final.

In the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals, each skater will perform 2 runs and 5 Tricks; the best 4 scores from runs or tricks will be added to give the total round score.

Street skateboarding has only had five World Championships, starting in 2014. The top performers:

Men:
Nyjah Huston (USA) ~ 2014-17-18 World Champion; 2015-16 Worlds silver
● Kevin Hoefler (BRA) ~ 2015 World Champion; 2018 Worlds silver; 2017 Worlds bronze
● Felipe Gustavo (BRA) ~ 2018 World Championships bronze medalist
● Shane O’Neill (AUS) ~ 2016 World Champion; 2017 Worlds silver

Women:
Lacey Baker (USA) ~ 2016-17 World Champion; 2018 Worlds bronze
● Leticia Bufoni (BRA) ~ 2015 World Champion; 2016-17-18 Worlds silvers
● Aori Nishimura (JPN) ~ 2018 World Champion
Alexis Sablone (USA) ~ 2016 World Championships bronze medalist
Marian Duran (USA) ~ 2017 World Championships bronze medalist

These are the folks to beat. Tokyo qualifying is based mostly on the World Skate world rankings as of 31 May 2020; athletes accumulate points from designated events like this one to earn their rankings placement.

Look for results here.