In a surprising turn of events at the Olympic Qualifier Series, Tokyo's Yuto Horigome, the reigning Olympic skateboarding champion, faced an early exit on day one. Horigome scored 81.88 points, finishing 17th and just missing out on qualifying for the semi-final round by one spot.
\"I am not satisfied with my performance today, but I still have a chance to secure a position in the Paris Olympic Games. I will work harder and try to be among Paris Olympic skateboarders,\" said the 25-year-old champion. His compatriot, Netsuke Kairi, celebrated a successful qualification with a score of 90.41 points, securing the top spot.
Horigome wasn't the only notable athlete to miss out. Brazilian silver medalist Kelvin Hoefler also did not advance, posting a best score of 68.44.
In men's sport climbing, Spain's Alberto Gines Lopez, the current Olympic champion, finished third in the bouldering qualification with 78.5 points. South Korea's Lee Dohyun took first place, while Britain's Hamish McArthur secured the second spot. China's Pan Yufei tied for 15th place, keeping hopes alive for advancing to the semi-finals.
The women's competitions saw China's Luo Zhilu finish fifth in the bouldering qualification with a score of 84.8. Ukrainian climber Ievgeniia Kazbekova led the qualification with an impressive 99.8 points. Luo attributed her performance to battling a cold and is determined to return stronger in future competitions.
In the women's skateboarding park qualifying round, Olympic silver medalist Kokona Hiraki delivered a stellar performance, securing first place with a score of 83.66 points. Austrian Arisa Trew and fellow Japanese Mizuho Hasegawa followed closely behind. However, Chinese skateboarder Zheng Haohao did not advance, ranking 20th with 51.73 points.
As the qualifiers progress, the top 20 athletes in the overall standings will move on to the semi-final phase, setting the stage for an exciting path to the Paris Olympic Games.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
