Monster Energy congratulates team rider Daiki Ikeda on taking second place and Nyjah Huston on taking third place in the SLS Tokyo 2023 street skateboarding competition.
TOKYO, Aug. 13, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — The young gun takes the podium! Monster Energy congratulates team rider Daiki Ikeda on taking second place in the SLS Tokyo 2023 street skateboarding competition this weekend. In the second official stop of the 2023 SLS Championship Tour presented by Street League Skateboarding (SLS), the 17-year-old from Tokyo claimed his first SLS podium spot in Men’s Skateboard Street in his SLS debut.
Also advancing to the podium, 28-year-old Olympic skateboarder Nyjah Huston from Laguna Beach, California claimed third place.
Contested at Ariake Arena on August 12, SLS Tokyo marked the second stop of the 2023 SLS World Championship Tour. It was the very first SLS event in Japan and in all of Asia. The series was established in 2010 by pro skateboarder Rob Dyrdek as the world’s most authentic competition format in street skateboarding. Next, the tour will commence in Sydney, Australia (October 7), followed by the soon-to-be-announced SLS Super Crown World Championship.
The Men’s Skateboard Street competition boiled down to a heated final featuring six qualified riders hailing from Australia, Brazil, Japan, and the United States. Supported by the high-energy crowd, Ikeda opened his highest-scoring run with a backside 270 lipslide the big rail, followed by hardflip the huge gap, frontside bluntslide backside kickflip the rail, and backside 360 ollie the platform for 7.8 points.
In Best Trick attempts, Ikeda raised the bar with a perfect frontside Half Cab kickflip off the big section gap for 8.2 points. The young street skater followed up with a Caballerial backside tailslide fakie the eleven-stair rail for 8.7 points. On his fourth attempt, Ikeda broke into Nine Club territory with a backside 270 lipslide 270 out the big rail earning 9.3 points. And just like that, the seventeen-year-old took second place in his first-ever SLS competition with a total score of 34.00 points.
This weekend’s second place marks the first SLS podium for Ikeda. He also owns an X Games silver medal in Skateboard Street from X Games Chiba 2022 and took first place in the 2022 Tampa Am street skateboarding competition. Previously, Ikeda won gold in the Junior Street Division at X Games Minneapolis 2019 when he was only 13.
Ikeda was joined on the podium by 28-year-old Huston, who had already taken third place earlier this season at SLS Chicago 2023. In the SLS Tokyo final, Huston put down a stacked run featuring crooked grind to fakie the ledge into the bank, Half Cab crooked the rail, frontside bluntslide the ledge, backside Smith grind the rail, nollie backside 180 nosegrind revert the rail, 360 kickflip the Euro Gap, fakie kickflip into the bank, Half Cab kickflip the bump, and a near-miss Caballerial lipslide fakie the big rail for 8.2 points.
In the Best Trick section, Huston upped the ante with a flawless backside nollie heelflip lipslide the big rail for a Nine Club score of 9.2 points. Keeping the technical moves firing, he followed up with a switch frontside heelflip tailslide the eleven-stair rail for 9.4 points and an overall score of 26.8 points for third place.
Known as the winningest street skateboarder of all time, Huston is a six-time street skateboarding world champion and currently owns 21 X Games medals (13 gold, five silver, and three bronze). He is currently the only athlete to win X Games gold medals on five continents.
Earlier in the Men’s Skateboard Street final, 30-year-old Brazilian team rider Kelvin Hoefler came in as a podium favorite after winning the SLS Chicago 2023 event. In his highest-scoring run, Hoefler put down backside tailslide the bank to rail, kickflip backside lipslide the rail, Half Cab crooked the hubba, Caballerial lipslide fakie the big rail for 8.6 points. Ultimately, Hoefler did not get the Best Tricks he wanted and finished in fifth place. Stay tuned for the next one!
Next on the calendar, make sure to tune in for Stop 03 of the SLS Championship Tour in Sydney, Australia, on October 7, 2023.
For more on Daiki Ikeda, Nyjah Huston, Kelvin Hoefler, and the Monster Energy skateboarding team, visit http://www.monsterenergy.com. Follow Monster Energy on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok for exclusive updates as the action sports season continues.
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About Monster Energy
Based in Corona, California, Monster Energy is the leading marketer of energy drinks and alternative beverages. Refusing to acknowledge the traditional, Monster Energy supports the scene and sport. Whether motocross, off-road, NASCAR, MMA, BMX, surf, snowboard, ski, skateboard, or the rock and roll lifestyle, Monster Energy is a brand that believes in authenticity and the core of what its sports, athletes, and musicians represent. More than a drink, it’s the way of life lived by athletes, sports, bands, believers, and fans. See more about Monster Energy including all of its drinks at http://www.monsterenergy.com.
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