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In just over 100 days, skateboarding will return to the Olympics for the first time since the inaugural edition in 2020, with 80 athletes taking part inside the park (a hollowed-out concrete bowl with a kicker in the center and a high perimeter full of rails). ) will be competing against each other. A flat course dotted with streets, handrails, ledges, fun boxes, kickers, etc. Skaters in both contests are judged on factors such as the quality and difficulty of their tricks and their ability to use all obstacles on the course. For Park, each athlete will perform his 45-second run three times, which will be scored individually in front of a panel of five judges, with the highest score being the final score. In the street, a skater performs his 45 second runs twice and single tricks five times. Street's scoring system has been completely overhauled for Paris 2024, with the best of his two runs and the best of his two tricks now counting. Eight skaters will advance to the finals and compete for a spot on the podium.
Considering that Olympic skateboarding is still in its formative years, there is no typical profile for Olympic skaters, at least when compared to the ultra-rigorous training of professional gymnasts and swimmers. The 2020 Tokyo Games featured several industry heavyweights such as 19-time X Games podium finisher Nyjah Huston and street gold medalist Yuto Horiyone, but 13-year-old bronze medalist Skye Brown Some young players also participated. He works as a coach and uses YouTube to teach himself tricks.
Becoming a professional skater requires drive and guts, but it also requires a passionate love for the sport that drives you to try tricks head-on, risking falls, bruises, and even broken bones. Masu. This year's Olympic candidates include Jagger Eaton, Ruth Tswetzrud, and Kelvin Hoefler, all members of the Kariuma team who competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, as well as Olympic newcomers Natalia Muñoz and Agustín Akira. It will be done.
With three months to go until the Paris 2024 Games, HYPEBAST spoke to a group of pros about training, goals, and the differences between contests and street skating.
Karyuma
With the 2024 Paris Olympics just a few months away, how are you feeling and what is your daily training like?
Jagger Eaton: My daily routine goes something like this. Jumping in the ocean, breakfast, reading and writing, physical therapy with my coach, an hour and a half of skating, and golf. Today is a perfect training day for me!
Roos Zwetsloot: I'm busy training and going to contests. When I'm not traveling, my daily routine in the Netherlands is to eat healthy food, stretch, train on my skateboard, and sometimes study a little in between, cook, and meet friends in the evening. That's it. I also do off-board training at the gym twice a week, which keeps my body healthy and strong.
Natalia Muñoz: My daily routine varies depending on my training plan, but includes individual physical preparation for skateboarding, physical therapy treatments to keep my body in the best possible shape, and my coaches and friends. and revolves around skateboarding for hours on end.
Kelvin Hefler: Basically my daily routine is to have a good breakfast, check the news, see what's going on in the skateboarding world, and get ready for the day. I usually go to a local park in the morning and skate at home in the afternoon. Do some workouts to stay fit and energetic during the week. When I'm relaxing at home at night, I play video games.
Agustín Aquila: I wake up in the morning, eat a delicious Italian breakfast, skate outside, pick up friends on the way to the skate park and enjoy the morning. Then I eat something, go train, and relax a bit. At the end of the day, I go home and enjoy my time at home by reading a book, playing some music, or cooking something.
Skateboarding first appeared in the Olympics at the last Summer Olympics in 2020. Does it still feel surreal to be competing in skateboarding?
JE: It's every athlete's dream to be able to compete for something bigger than themselves.
RZ: I am still honored to have competed in my first competition of 2020. Right now, my focus is on the 2024 Paris Games and I would love to be there if possible. It would be great to be able to skate in front of friends, family and fans in such a great location in Paris.
NM: Seeing skateboarding in Tokyo was amazing. I still can't believe this sport was included in the Olympics. I never imagined that I would be able to compete in the Olympics, but every day it feels like it's within my reach and I'm really excited.
KH: The last Olympics didn't really shock me until I got there. Before I went, I thought it was just a regular skateboarding event, but when I arrived and saw all the villages and flags, I thought, “Wow, it's amazing how big skateboarding has become.”
AA: It's a shock because I moved to Italy from my native Argentina almost three years ago. I only started competing with the Italian national team two years before him and was able to compete in these contests at a level I had never seen before.
Karyuma
Do you look at skating from a different perspective when preparing for a contest?
JE: My mindset is always in competitions and I really enjoy it. Skating is always fun, creative and exciting, but competing on behalf of your country takes it to an extra level of importance. I love that each trick, session, and tournament is important.
RZ: When I'm preparing, I focus on some difficult tricks, but I'm not able to do 100% “free” skating. You don't want to get hurt either, so you'll be more conscious of that. After a contest, you should always take a few days to rest and recharge for the next contest.
NM: When I'm skating with my friends, I have no worries and have fun, but when it comes to competition it's a different story. Focus and study every inch of the skatepark, plan your tricks for each obstacle, and time everything perfectly… always striving for the perfect run.
KH: I hope you can pull off the trick. That's all I think about when preparing for an event. It's so different. I love street skating. Street skating is more fun and you have more time to photograph. If the trick is not successful, you can always go back until you have completed the trick. Contest skating can be a little stressful because you only get one chance.
AA: I still get nervous and anxious during matches, so I'm much more focused, serious and linear. I don't like to mess up. When you skate regularly, you have more freedom to do what you want, enjoy different things, and think more calmly.
What do you consider a “successful” Olympic trip?
JE: A successful Olympic trip means a medal, preferably a gold medal.
RZ: When you go home with a positive mindset and feeling like you gave it your all. Of course, I would be really happy if everything worked out the way I wanted, but my priority is to be in the moment and give my 100%. We'll see what happens after that.
NM: Just the fact that skateboarding will be an Olympic sport is a huge opportunity for me. Getting there will open many doors and allow you to receive more support to continue skating.
KH: I did my best, did the tricks, and gave it my all.
AA: Just being there, traveling, finding friends, seeing great skaters doing great things, skating, enjoying contests, Paris, and maybe getting some good results. Sho. It would be really great to be in the top 10.
Karyuma
What excites you most outside of competing?
JE: I'm excited to be back in the Olympic Village. Nothing beats the Olympic spirit. When you wake up, you're inspired by the great players around you to become a truly great athlete. I can't wait to go back there again.
RZ: Definitely a skate park location. With a great location in the city center, families also come here to have fun together.
NM: What I'm most excited about is experiencing the Olympics from the inside, meeting as many Olympians as possible, and representing my country.
KH: I have a lot of exciting experiences there, seeing everyone from different countries and meeting amazing people. But honestly? You go home, live a regular life, skate for fun, and do it all over again.
AA: Seeing the Olympics going on, all the excited people, the opening ceremony, traveling with the national team, all the food, and showing it all to my friends and family. This is new to me so I don't really know what to expect. I watched the Olympics as a kid, but I never imagined that skateboarding would be featured in the Olympics.
