Horigome Yuto makes the street final as top qualifier to keep Olympic title defence alive at Olympic Qualifier Series Budapest

Horigome Yuto skated at the precipice of the unimaginable. The face of Japanese skateboarding kept his Olympic title defence alive as he marched into the street final at the Olympic Qualifier Series (OQS) in Budapest on Saturday (22 June).

Going into his fourth trick after scratching the first two, Horigome looked like the weight of the world was weighing on his shoulders. With only one trick in the bag, he was lying in ninth place and had to land the trick to remove an element of pressure on the fifth.

Needing to finish on the podium at the second leg of the OQS, skating’s first-ever Olympic street champion could easily have crumbled under the pressure. Horigome did exactly the opposite.

The Tokyo 2020 gold medallist is well versed in navigating perilous waters. He stuck a big fourth trick launching him into pole position and as the scores came in, the shy superstar looked relieved rather than happy. The true test will come on Sunday during the finals where everything will be on the line.

Horigome finished the semis as the top-ranked skater with a combined score of 272.83 points with compatriot Onodera Ginwoo second with 272.13. Braden Hoban (USA) came in third with 269.12.

His compatriot Jagger Eaton, hoping to make the Olympics in both street and park, opted out of the semi-finals in street to focus on the park competition, scheduled only a couple of hours after. And France's Aurelien Giraud, who did not compete at OQS Shanghai, just missed the final, finishing ninth with 243.96.

Horigome threw down the gauntlet with a solid first-round run as he went into the trick section high on confidence. The pressure piled up as the Japanese sensation scratched his first two but he kept his cool and delivered when it mattered most.

"First of all, I am really happy to be in the final. I' ve been practicing for the Olympics for the last two years or so. I am happy that I landed a new trick today that I had been practicing for so long," Horigome told Olympics.com. "I feel super excited for tomorrow. I will try hard and have fun."

Japan’s envious depth means that the 25-year-old will need to bring his A-game on Sunday to avoid being one of the victims of the high-stakes OQS.

OQS Budapest is the last chance for skaters to accrue ranking points which will be used to determine the final field for Olympic Games Paris 2024.

All the skateboarding action from the Olympic Qualifier Series Budapest is available to stream live on Olympic Channel via Olympics.com the official Olympics app for mobile devices. Territorial restrictions may apply.

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Olympic Qualifier Series: Men's street semi-final results

The top 8 advanced to the final.

1. Horigome Yuto (JPN) – 272.83
2. Onodera Ginwoo (JPN) – 272.13
3. Braden Hoban (USA) – 269.12
4. Shirai Sora (JPN) – 268.95
5. Netsuke Kairi (JPN) – 268.0
6. Kelvin Hoefler (BRA) – 259.53
7. Richard Tury (SVK) – 248.20
8. Matias Dell Olio (ARG) – 247.27
9. Aurelien Giraud (FRA) – 243.96
10. Cordano Russell (CAN) – 181.72
11. Filipe Mota (BRA) – 178.95
12. Jake Ilardi (USA) – 155.28
13. Chris Joslin (USA) – 148.12
14. Sasaki Toa (JPN) – 141.88
15. Micky Papa (CAN) – 84.48
16. Matt Berger (CAN) – 21.62