Five US skateboarders who could light up the Olympic Qualifier Series and Paris 2024
The Road To Paris 2024 is narrowing as the two-part Olympic Qualifier Series (OQS) kicks off in Shanghai from 16-19 May, followed by the final stop in Budapest from 20-23 June.
The new festival-style event will be a celebration of sport and culture, with music, fashion, and art combining with the sporting competition to create a festival experience that will determine which athletes qualify for Paris 2024 in breaking, BMX freestyle, skateboarding, and sport climbing.
Following its celebrated Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020, skateboarding will showcase the stars of the sport.
Team USA boasts the top two ranked men’s park skateboarders worldwide, and female skateboarders ranked in the top 10 in both park and street.
Read on to find out about five US skateboarders who could light up the OQS, and eyeing competing at one of the most iconic venues at Paris 2024, the Place de la Concorde urban park, located in front of the Eiffel Tower.
Jagger Eaton - Park & Street
Jagger Eaton, the Tokyo 2020 street bronze medallist hailing from Mesa, Arizona, is one of America’s brightest hopes at the OQS and, potentially, Paris 2024.
The only multidisciplinary US skateboarder competing in both street and park at the OQS, he’s currently ranked second worldwide for park and 12th for street in the World Skateboard Ranking.
Consistently competing as a dual-event athlete, Eaton is a two-time world champion, and five-time X Games medallist.
Renowned for being able to perform under pressure and put together runs focused on high-scoring switch tricks, Eaton's strong competitive drive and athletic approach to skateboarding, combined with working with coaches and additional cross-training fitness sessions, are reaping the rewards.
Nyjah Huston - Street
Nyjah Huston is a hardened contest street skater, a fan favorite, and well-positioned as a returning Olympian and the second-ranked street skateboarder in the World Skateboard Ranking.
Huston's 2023 season saw back-to-back wins at the World Skateboarding Tour Rome, followed by top spot at the World Skate Tour Lausanne, earning scores in the 90s to dominate proceedings.
A six-time street skateboarding world champion and 10-time X Games Street gold medallist, Huston will be looking to push through the Olympic Qualifier Series with his eyes locked on Paris 2024.
It is in the centre of France's capital that the California native will hope to overcome his Tokyo 2020 disappointment, where he fell four times in the final, finishing seventh.
Gavin Bottger - Park
Gavin Bottger has been on a tear of late. The 17-year-old goofy-footer from South Lake Tahoe, California, put together a spectacular third run to win the men’s title at the 2023 WST Rome Park World Championships.
He followed up with a second-place finish at the World Skateboarding Tour Park Dubai in March to boost his park World Skateboard Ranking into the number-one spot heading into the Olympic Qualifying Series.
He’s a ball of teenage energy—fast, powerful and consistent in his runs.
Minna Stess - Park
Minna Stess, the 17-year-old teenage skateboarding phenom from California, saw a significant boost in her World Skateboard Tour rankings following her bronze-medal finish at the 2023 World Skateboard Tour Rome Park, a 2023 World Championship event, with a resounding score of 90.80 in her second run.
This performance moved her to the top-ranked US woman and sixth worldwide in park.
Stess will be driven to reach Paris 2024, having been an alternate for Tokyo 2020 at just 15. She knows what it will take to see her through to the finish line at the OQS.
Paige Heyn - Street
Paige Heyn is the top-ranked Women’s US street skater, ranking 10th worldwide.
The Arizona native was named to Team USA in 2022 at age 14, and now, at 16, she’s rising through the ranks, standing on the podium alongside the two top-ranked women, with her bronze medal finish in street at the 2023 World Skateboard Tour Lausanne, followed by another third-place finish at the inaugural skateboarding street event at the Pan American Games 2023.
She kept the momentum going with another third at the STU Open 2023 in Rio de Janeiro.
Heyn consistently earns high scores with her switch skating, taking third place in the Best Trick category, for a switch 50 at her first Street League Super Crown appearance.
Heyn is young, driven and has repeatedly shown her ability to perform under pressure to get on the podium.
As National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective countries at the Olympic Games, athletes' participation at the Paris Games depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation at Paris 2024. Click here to see the official qualification system for each sport.