Alora, as they say in these parts: it would be remiss of us at this semifinals juncture, when some of the urethane dust has settled, not to look back somewhat before we roll forward.
Last night’s cut from 40 down to 16 in each division brought with it some big scalps who couldn’t find the performance required to progress in this ever- more demanding World Tour.
Japanese duo Mei Sugawara and Asahi Kaihara who placed 4th and 6th here respectively 10 months ago both fell at the first reduction phase of the finals at this time of asking.
It is interesting to note that both 2023 World Champion Gavin Bottger and his American teammate Liam Pace, who could both have been expected from previous experience to be skating today, are both out. The reason why that is interesting is that neither wore kneepads (Pace was earlier in the week but took them off, Bottger never does). Could it be that, at this level, the missing reassurance of being able to kneeslide out proved to be a factor?
At this attritionally- high level of skateboarding, any tiny advantage could be the difference between being north or south of that little red cut line on the results sheets).
Staying with protective equipment and missed cuts, Portugal’s Thomas Augusto couldn’t make his runs gel last night and was last seen having a full and frank exchange of opinions with his helmet by way of a wall.
Two-time Olympic finalist Dora Varella was already staring down the barrel of a World Cup exit at the end of Heat 1, being as she was the only one of her group not to break the 70-point barrier- which, at WST semifinals stage, is almost a given that the top 8 will do for sure.
Leading at that stage was Tokyo gold medallist Sakura Yosozumi, who has had injury challenges since then; although she took pole position with her first run, she failed to complete her next two-so post-injury consistency questions linger.
Staying with post-injury comebacks, Spain’s Naia Laso (collarbone, OQS Shanghai) nearly gave herself and all the rest of us a heart attack by repeating her 2024 World Championship drama here by blowing out her first two runs and flirting with a total, tearful washout before sticking a super 3rd and making the cut.
In so doing, she bumped out Lillian Erickson who had herself just bumped out Fernanda Tonissi.
World Champion Raicca Ventura then needed her last run to break into the top 8 before Olympic gold medallist Arisa Trew bust back into contention from 10th place, cruelly knocking Raicca down into 9th and out of tomorrow’s final below her teammate Isadora Pacheco. The difference between those two positions either side of the ‘bubble’ cutoff? 0.09 of a point. That’s the margins we’re dealing with here.
TLDR? Only Sakura Yosozumi and Isa Pacheco go through from heat 1; only Lilly Erickson and Raicca Ventura from Heat 2 do not. That was a wild one.
Over now to Men’s and we will summarise it in one word: total, utter mayhem.
OK, that’s three- but this was an evening of going bigger than expected so there you go.
First 900 (Gui Khury) and two first 720’s (Soya Inomata, Egoitz Bijueska) in WST history- and that was just the first heat.
Pedro Carvalho opened his account with the run he wanted straight out of the gate to set the tempo for what was to come and had a nailbiting wait to make it into the finals.
Egoitz Bijueska managed to repeat Naia Laso’s feat of snatching a 3rd run (95!) victory out of the jaws of 2 previous blown-run defeat with what was for my money one of the greatest runs of all time.
Giuglielmo Marin and Tommy Calvert did both themselves credit in making it this far and mixing with the best- and these are the very best in the world- but their World Cup dreams ended here tonight where the standard was so high that it has already eclipsed last year’s World Championship in standard- and we are still only at semifinals level.
Gui Khury was an absolute revelation- kickflip 540s, backside 540 kickflips, bigflip indy’s and that 900 which caused pandemonium in the stands.
World Champion Augusto Akio was unable to complete a run and sent his board into the stands with his final slam.
Dropping in having seen all that unfold, Ale Mazzara- despite knowing every inch of the park better than anyone- fell on a fairly pedestrian (for him) smithgrind out of the deep end on his first run. Similarly, Danny Leon couldn’t make his signature kickflip stalefish at the first two times of asking. Tate Carew, who is usually money in the bank, couldn’t bring home a frontside bluntslide over the loveseat on his first two runs. Admittedly, that is nigh-on impossible, but nonetheless this is the level these people are playing at.
Remember- this was only the semifinals. Based upon what went down, we may be on for the greatest WST Park finals to date when we meet again tomorrow.
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