With her favorite trick, a 540 Over-the-Box, Martina Svobodova sewed up her second straight gold medal in the Women's Aggressive In-line Skate Park competition this afternoon at X Games VIII at the First Union Complex. Fourteen-year-old Jenna Downing, this year's only competitor from England, finished second and 15-year-old Fallon Heffernan, last year's silver medallist, finished third.

Svobodova's good friend, Fabiola da Silva, pulled out of the competition after her first run, citing soreness in her knee which kept her from skating as aggressively as she could. According to her spokeswoman Circe Wallace, da Silva "took the park competition lightly so she could focus on the Vert, her main event which she's won five times, including the last two straight." da Silva is scheduled to compete in the Aggressive In-line Vert competition on Monday afternoon.

"It feels great to win," said the 18-year-old Slovak native Svobodova, who plans to move to the United States after graduating from high school. "But I was upset Fabiola couldn't finish competing because she's a great friend of mine." On her first run, Svobodova turned in 56.75, which easily outdistanced the effort from Downing, whose best effort was a 47.75. Heffernan, from Jacksonville, Fla., scored a 44.75 on her second run to secure third place. "Competing at the X Games was my dream," said Downing, who waited for her favorite song - Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train" - to begin playing before skating. "I love the X Games." Heffernan echoed that sentiment saying, "I love the X Games. The fans are the coolest part."

The X Games showcases 300 of the world's best action sports athletes competing in a variety of sports events for medals and more than $1 million in total prize money. In its first year as X Games host, Philadelphia drew 235,000 spectators during X Games VII, August 17-22, 2001.

ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC Sports will combine to televise more than 20 original hours of X Games VIII coverage starting August 17, while ESPN International will distribute the Games worldwide. In addition, EXPN.com, the year-round home for action sports and culture, will offer extensive event coverage, including streaming video from the X Games.