4 x 4
By Enzo
EXPN.com
Mar. 24, 2002
It's hard to describe the level of excitement in the press and the crowd for skateboarding down here in Rio. If you're a U.S. citizen try to imagine opening the morning paper and on the front page of the sports section you're reading a story on Tony Hawk right next to a story on Michael Jordan. Or try to imagine if 30 million households tuned into a live skateboard vert contest on television. That's exactly what happened this morning when a Brazilian sports show, "Sports Spectacular", aired the skateboarding vert finals live here at the Latin American X Games Qualifiers. The
Skateboard Vert finals were just one of four on the day. The others included Bicycle Stunt - Park, Aggressive Inline - Vert and Skateboarding Best Trick - Park.
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| Mat Hoffman has only done two 900s in the last eight years, and this here 900 was done tonight. |
Unlike the Vert competition the Bicycle Stunt Park competition would result in the winner qualifying to go to Philly. This was due to the higher lever of talent competing in the Park comp. The finalists also represented more countries than most events. The nationality breakdown went like this - 3 Brazilians, 3 Argentines, 2 Chileans and 2 Mexicans. And fittingly all countries but one made their way to the podium. From Santiago, Chile, Jorge Francisco Contreras, took home the bronze. Argentine, Gabriel Mastragostino couldn't wait to rip off his jersey to reveal his Argentine national soccer Jersey after his final run. When Gabriel was announced as the Silver medallist, a group of his countrymen hoisted them up on his shoulders and carried him to the podium.
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| The course. |
The Gold Medallist almost didn't even make it into the Latin American X Games Qualifiers. The initial field for the Park comp was 35 bmx'ers. The first alternate, number 36, was Samuel Shiogaki. One of the other invitees couldn't make it and Samuel got the nod. That's all he needed. That and a lot of game. After his win Samuel said, "I'm so excited to be going to the X Games. I'll get a chance to ride with my favorite rider Ruben Alcantara. We rode in Japan together and I can't wait to ride with him again". Samuel actually has duel citizenship in Brazil and Japan. His Mother is Brazilian his Father Japanese. Will we see Samuel at the Asian X Games Qualifiers next year?
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| Third place Bicycle Stunt Park finisher, Jorge Francisco Contreras, transferring the hip. |
Next up was the Aggressive Inline -
Vert competition. Practice and prelims went for the bulk of the day with the finals beginning at 4pm. Check out the full recap on this event.
The Aggressive Inline Vert finals were immediately followed by a demo on the vert ramp. Again Brazilian skaters Bob Burnquist and Sandro Diaz showed up for the fun but again they were upstaged by bicycle stunt innovater/legend, Mat Hoffman. The Condor lit up the vert ramp with his magnitude. He fell hard on a couple of flairs before sticking his third. Mat was about to call it a day when a couple of guys he knows from Brazil on the deck across the pipe from him whipped off their shirts revealing their bellies with the digits "900" scrawled across them. Would he go for it? First consider a few relevant facts: 1.) Mat has attempted a nine only once in the last eight years. The last time he tried it was on his final run of last year's X Games and his retirement from competitive riding. 2). He has a broken hand. 3). The crowd was whipped into hysteria normally reserved for soccer games and N'Sync concerts. Apparently the crowd was on his mind when he dropped in, pumped the ramp four times, launched and stuck the 900. The crowd erupted, went ballistic, went insane, (please place additional unworthy descriptions here).
Last but not least came the Skateboarding Best Trick - Park Finals. While an X Games Qualification was not at stake Brazilian bragging rights were. All the top riders from the Park comp were in attendance and doing their darndest for a rabid Rio crowd. The top three finishers and their tricks went like this.
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| Allan Mesquita arguably nailed the best trick of the night after time was called on the competition. |
First Place - Fabiano Bianchin, Sao Leopoldo, Brazil: Backside 5-0 off the big rail which is about sixteen feet long then gapping to a 5 foot drop to flat. He also frontside 50-50'd on the big rail.
Second place - Nilton Neves, Sao Paulo, Brazil: 20 foot frontside nosegrind to nollie flip off on the big box. He also did a backside smith grind on a high handrail not actually made to ride (separates course from crowd). The drop off the rail was 4 feet.
Third Place - Daniel Viera, Curitiba, Brazil: Frontside kickflipped the big gap by the hip. He also did a switch frontside flip to flat off the mini-ramp deck.
But as often happens at best trick comps what might have been the best trick did not count because it was performed after time expired. Local, Rio de Janeiro, skater, Allan Mesquita (third place finisher in Park competition) landed, after nuemerous attempts, a transfer from the quarter pipe to a big ol' hand rail again not actually meant for skating (the one that encloses the deck) four feet behind and four feet above the coping. But he actually bluntstalled it and then transfered back into the quarterpipe riding fakie. He blew up the crowd when he finally landed it and if the clock had still been ticking he could have won the show.
And with that ended the Latin American X Games Qualifier. To recap, here's the lucky seven (All Brazilians!) who won their way to Philly this summer at X Games VIII. Congratulations!
Samuel Shinogaki - Sao Paulo, Brazil (bicycle stunt park)
Marcos de Jesus - Sao Paulo, Brazil (bicycle stunt flatland)
Rodolfo Ramos - Curtitiba, Brazil (skateboard park)
Lincoln Ueda, - Sao Paulo, Brazil (skateboard vert)
Dalmo Travaguni - Piracicaba, Brazil (aggressive in-line park)
Marco di Santi - Sao Paulo, Brazil (aggressive in-line vert)
Rafeal Shigueo Kamogawa - Sao Paulo, Brazil (wakeboard)
Related Photos:
BMX Park Finals
Skateboarding Park Finals
Women of Brazil
Women of Brazil - 2
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