Defending world champion Yuto Horigome of Japan is the first skateboarder to win Olympic gold, taking home the top spot in the men's street competition [1] on Sunday at the Ariake Urban Sports Park in Tokyo. Kelvin Hoefler of Brazil and Jagger Eaton of the US won silver and bronze.
For Horigome, it was a comeback for the ages. After each skater had taken their two 45-second runs, Hoefler sat in first place with Eaton and Nyjah Huston of the US [2] following in second and third. Horigome fell on both runs and was out of the running for the podium entering the best trick competition, in which riders are judged [3] on five separate, singular tricks. With his back against the wall, Horigome landed four out of five tricks, even grabbing the highest score of the day at a 9.50. Even better: the Tokyo native was competing in his hometown district, Kōtō, when he won the historic gold. And with the women's street and men's and women's park competitions [4] still on the way, skateboarding is off to a strong start at its first Olympic Games.
