Philadelphia, Penn. – In a close battle at X Games VIII Women's Wakeboard, Emily Copeland, Denver, Colo., took home the gold after landing an off-axis 540. The defending champion, Dallas Friday, of Orlando, Fla., captured the silver while Leslie Kent, Winter Park, Fla., finished with bronze. The contest took place on the Schuylkill River before a crowd of 6,100 spectators.

Copeland's run in the finals started big with a Scarecrow. The crowd roared as she nailed the KGB and jaws dropped when she landed the off-axis 540. After riding well the past two days, Copeland pulled some big tricks with big air to nab the gold medal.

"I can't believe I finally won gold after two silver medals," said Copeland, a native of Denver, Colo. "I was really nervous, I was the last one off the dock, after all the other girls. I had to watch them and hear the crowd clap."

Friday, last year's gold medal winner, hit a huge Air Rally followed by a Tantrum and a toeside Back Roll of the kicker. She went on to land the first KGB of the day followed by a solid Tootsie Roll. Friday said she felt her run was enough to capture gold, but that was not the result, instead, Friday walked away with silver a medal.

Kent, of Winter Park, Fla., landed a Pete Rose among other tricks and with a solid run claimed the bronze medal. Kent had hoped to earn the gold, but was happy to leave with a medal, given the stiff competition.

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.