Angelo Caro: 'The Olympics were an opportunity for Latin America to show its strength'
The Peruvian skateboarder, who placed fifth at Tokyo 2020, will begin his quest to reach a second Olympic Games at the first Paris 2024 qualifier, which is taking place in Rome from 26 June to 3 July.
While Angelo Caro is undoubtedly one of the world’s best skateboarders, he is also an example of resilience. When skateboarding made its Olympic debut at last year’s Games in Tokyo, the Peruvian had a less than ideal start, earning only one point in the first round and falling on several occasions.
But the most important thing was that he got up stronger.
His fifth-place finish in the competition makes him the closest athlete from Peru to winning an Olympic medal since Beijing 2008.
Now he is gearing up for another qualification run for the Olympic Games Paris 2024, where he has his eyes on claiming that elusive Olympic medal.
His first step towards qualification for Paris 2024 is at the World Street Skateboarding Rome 2022 event. The competition represents the first opportunity for skateboarders to earn the Olympic Ranking points needed to qualify for the next Olympic Games.
Two weeks ago, Caro showed he is in strong form by winning silver at the Madrid Urban Sports event, where he also spoke to Olympics.com about his future goals and how Tokyo 2020 changed his life.
READ MORE: Pathway to Paris 2024: Skateboarding qualification system explained
The impact of Tokyo 2020 on Peruvian skateboarding
The debut of skateboarding at Tokyo 2020 was a success - not only during but also after the Games. And Caro felt the impact personally.
“Ever since I found out about the Olympic debut of skateboarding, I knew it would be an opportunity for Latin America to show its strength and the level we can reach in skateboarding. And I think we proved that.”
Ever since the Games, Caro has seen a rise in the amount of support for him, with people around the world watching his journey to Paris 2024.
“Coming close to winning a medal made me really happy and proud of myself,” he said. “It motivates me a lot to see Peruvians standing by me in my career and sharing the same passion I have had since I was a child.
“Many people are supporting me in my journey to Paris 2024. It’s something I value a lot because they take time to write messages to motivate me.”
Peru still not on the level of 'neighbour' Brazil
While more support has been forthcoming, Caro still believes Peruvian skateboarding has a long way to go to reach the levels of Latin American neighbours Brazil.
At Tokyo 2020, Brazilian skateboarders won three silver medals, and today they boast some of the top skaters in the world including Rayssa Leal, Pamela Rosa and Kelvin Hoefler.
"[At Tokyo 2020] we achieved fifth place and if we have more support I think we can perform better and win the gold medal. Now is the right moment to support us so we can do great things at Paris 2024,” explained Caro.
In fact, Caro eventually decided to move to Barcelona in Spain in order to improve as a skateboarder. Now he will attempt to show how much he has improved at the first Olympic qualifier event.
“I expect to be on the podium,” he said. “I’ve been training for this for a long time.”
A resilient Angelo Caro
Perhaps Peru’s skateboarding scene can be compared to Caro’s own performance at Tokyo 2020. At the last Olympics, Caro fell on multiple times during the qualifiers and in the final - but he overcame those setbacks.
He fell down and became stronger - strong enough for his nation to dream of an Olympic podium. And his resilience was an inspiration to many.
“It’s important to train physically and mentally. They go together, they are the same thing. And I know what I showed - perseverance.
“Sport teaches you a lot of lessons in the same way life does. When you fall, you have to get up - and that’s the same in life.”
How to follow Angelo Caro in World Skate Rome 2022: schedule
Sunday 26 June
Open qualifier practice sessions for men and women - 08:30 - 17:35
Monday 27 June
Open qualifier practice sessions for men and women - 08:30 - 17:35
Tuesday 28 June
Open qualifier practice sessions for men and women - 08:30 - 17:35
Women's pre-seeded skaters’ practice - 17:40 - 18:25
Men's pre-seeded skaters' practice - 18:30 - 19:15
Wednesday 29 June
Women’s open qualifier - 08:45 - 13:45
Women's pre-seeded skaters’ practice - 14:45 - 15:30
Men's pre-seeded skaters' practice - 15:35 - 16:20
Thursday 30 June
Men’s open qualifier - 08:45 - 17:45
Women's pre-seeded skaters' practice - 17:50 - 18:35
Men's pre-seeded skaters' practice - 18:40 - 19:25
Friday 1 July
Women's quarterfinals - 10:20 - 13:05
Men's quarterfinals - 15:55 - 18:40
Saturday 2 July
Women’s semi-finals - 16:30 - 19:05
Men's semi-finals - 19:30 - 22:05
Sunday 3 July
Women's finals - 19:00 - 20:15
Men's finals - 21:00 - 22:15
Awards ceremony - 22:30 - 23:00
(All times listed are in CEST)
READ MORE: World Street Skateboarding Rome 2022: Preview, schedule, star skateboarders and how to watch