Early August saw skateboarding’s debut at the Central American and Caribbean Games 2026. The brand-new Malecón Deportivo skatepark in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic hosted skateboarders from Colombia, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, Venezuela and Costa Rica as well as the Dominican Republic itself for the region’s newest international Street contest.

 The quadrennial CACG was celebrating its twenty-sixth edition, and the World Skate- sanctioned skateboarding component of proceedings saw seventeen entrants go all-in pursuing the medals involved. Although not a World Skateboarding Tour event, the contest was run along our established format guidelines and judging criteria with World Skate staff filling those organisational roles.

Gold medals in both divisions went to familiar World Skateboarding Tour faces in the form of Colombia’s Jhancarlos Gonzalez and Puerto Rico’s 13-year-old sensation Esmeralda Butler, both of whom qualified in first in their respective fields the day before finals and picked up where they left off come Sunday the 5th.

Puerto Rico picked up a second medal in Gabriel Lavallee’s silver ahead of Mexico’s Brayan Coria in bronze for Men’s, while Esmeralda’s podium was completed by Mexico’s Geraldine Sanchez in silver and Venezuela’s Maria Arias taking a bronze medal away with her.

The Dominican Republic now has an international-standard skatepark with which to become a fixed star on both the regional and continental skateboarding circuits where skateboarding is thriving at this level.

Our thanks and congratulations to everyone who made history this month in the Dominican Republic!

All photos courtesy of @butlerphoto_

Central American and Caribbean Games- Street Skateboarding Results:

Men’s Podium

1) Jhancarlos Gonzalez

2) Gabriel Lavallee

3) Brayan Coria

Women’s Podium

1) Esmeralda Butler

2) Geraldine Sanchez

3) Maria Arias