New Skate Park Names Raise Competition for Spaces in Paris-2024

The disputes for places in the second edition of the Olympic Games with the presence of skateboarding promise to be fierce until Paris-2024.

The calendar of tournaments that distribute points for the ranking of the international federation (World Skate), criteria for defining the participants in the Olympics, should be released in the coming months. The start of the race is scheduled for the second half of 2022.

The hammer on the limit of seats per nation in Paris has not yet been struck (in Tokyo there were three of each modality/genre), nor regarding a possible minimum age for participation, which did not exist in Japan.

These confirmations should be announced by February, as well as the selection formed by the Brazilian Skate Confederation for next year. It is projected that in countries that filled all their vacancies in the Olympic debut, such as Brazil, Japan and the USA, the scenario will be even more competitive for 2024.

In the street modality, in which Brazil was represented by Rayssa Leal, 13, Pâmela Rosa, 22, Leticia Bufoni, 28, Kelvin Hoefler, 28, Felipe Gustavo, 30, and Giovanni Vianna, 20, other names have already shown good results in the last few months.

These are the cases of Lucas Rabelo, 22, world runner-up in November, Gabriela Mazetto, 24, back on track after becoming a mother, and Virginia Fortes Águas, 15, who chose to compete in Europe and won a series of tournaments there .

But for now, it is in the park mode that the national scene appears to be even more competitive. The women’s park was the only category in which Brazil was not on the podium in Japan. The country’s representatives, Yndiara Asp, 24, Dora Varella, 20, and Isadora Pacheco, 16, should fight again for a place, but they see the competition increase.

Victoria Bassi, 14, was already part of the adult selection in the last cycle and was close to one of the places for Tokyo, but ended up being classified as the fourth best in the country. Having already spent a lot of time with her colleagues/competitors, she knows she won’t be able to fool around to be among the best. This does not mean, however, that the São Paulo native from Ribeirão Pires intends to abandon the fun way.

“I’m a very funny, spontaneous person,” she told the leaf in Florianópolis, where he was in December to participate in the Red Bull Skate Generation, an event held at Pedro Barros’ house.

“The guys call me maloqueira. At first I didn’t like it very much because it gives an air of something a little bad, but then they explained to me why and I identify a lot. world, I don’t belittle anyone and I don’t let myself get carried away with nonsense,” he added.

“Neighbor” of Bassi on ABC Paulista, Raicca Ventura, 14, from Santo André, was not yet very involved in international competitions in the last cycle, but everything indicates that now it will be different. Member of the Brazilian junior team, she has stood out in events with the presence of the main athletes in the country.

From a family of skaters —his father even works at a track—, Raicca started walking at age 6 and had, in addition to being encouraged in the sport, access to good training spots. The young woman reports working hard to transform what she considers to be a gift into good results.

“I’m doing intensive training with my coach, Cristiano Mateus, and we’ve been training a lot to go to Paris. skateboard because I want to be the best Brazilian skateboarder, be on the podium always and go to the Olympics,” he said, adding the request that the reporter not forget to register the word humility.

Also a member of the junior park team, Maitê Demantova, 11, from Curitiba, is the youngest member of the team, as it usually happens in most tournaments and events in which she participates. In Florianópolis, she stole the show with her style — pink skirts and thick-rimmed glasses —, spontaneity and talent on wheels.

His trajectory in the sport began with his father, Marcos, who on days without waves in Balneário Camboriú (SC) used to trade the sea for long skates. First, Maitê got a version for children, known as “bananinha”, and walked in the garage or on the waterfront.

In 2018, while watching from the stands a tournament in Itajaí (SC) with big names in the national park, she wanted to turn the game into something more serious and asked for a real skateboard, to walk on the slopes and do tricks. There began a trajectory that a short time later puts her alongside the same names that she used to see only as an admirer.

Supported by Marcelo Kosake, the sport’s historical name, the girl began to frequent the skateboarding scene in Curitiba and participate in tournaments. He quickly created the expectation of fulfilling his dream of participating in the Olympics, and not only that.

“I really like the role played by the Brazilian women, but I want to reach the level of the Japanese and even be better than them”, he stated with conviction, without forgetting another more playful face of the sport. “I really like the time of competition, let’s see, but skateboarding is also very friendship and family.”

male scenario

Among men, today it would be almost impossible to point out favorites for Brazilian vacancies in Paris. Pedro Barros, 26, has already indicated that he intends to seek gold after his silver medal in Tokyo. Luizinho Francisco, 21, and Pedro Quintas, 19, also finalists in Japan, still have a lot of room for evolution.

Meanwhile, a new wave of competitors shows more and more strength. Gui Khury, 13, from Curitiba, the first skateboarder in history to hit a 1,080-degree vertical spin, should compete for a spot in the park.

Another young man on the rise is Kalani Konig, 14, from Florianópolis, another member of the junior team who may soon be an adult, even with the differential of dedicating himself to both park and street.

At the same event in the capital of Santa Catarina, names like Augusto Akio, 21, and Luigi Cini, 19, both from Curitiba, were some of the ones who stood out in action on Pedro Barros’ track.

Luizinho’s brother, André Mariano, 18, won the STU Open (main tournament on the national circuit) in early December and sees the chances of going to the Games as a family as real.

“Being with him until today, following the same path, is very good. When I was watching the Olympics, seeing myself with him there was the thing I most managed to do”, said André. If this happens in 2024, the only concern of the brothers from Lorena (SP) will be with the emotions of their mother, Dona Bidu. “She’s going to have a heart attack”, jokes the youngest.