Street skateboarder Mariah Duran’s second wind: “I’m accepting adversity; I’m accepting wins”

It was the night before Summer X Games and Mariah Duran didn’t know what to do next.

Fatigue had the street skateboarder in its clutches: her body was aching, her mind unfocused, and a general feeling of being burnt out was taking over.

It had been a while since the 26-year-old had been at a top-tier contest outside of the Paris 2024 Olympic qualifiers and she wasn’t sure she even wanted to compete.

And as she thought about it, the question became more existential. Did she want to continue doing this at all?

Staring down the fork in the road testing her resolve, the American made her decision.

“I want to still do this,” Duran said to herself, remembering the moment in an interview with Olympics.com. But the pressure that usually seizes her can no longer be in command. It was time to let all of that go.

“When I took the pressure off, it was like, all right, I still want it,” the skateboarder says explaining the turning point. “I’m going to feed into this fire a little bit.”

The next day Duran, feeling some way off her usual powers, went to the inaugural women’s best trick contest.

And with the weight of expectation off her shoulders, she landed her favourite trick, a hardflip, down the course’s stairs.

“I’m not saying it was easy because I remember warming up, where I was like, ’Oh it’s going to be one of those days,’” she continues. “But I was fortunate enough to be able to land it within a few tries.”

Watching the rest of the field take their turns, including Chloe Covell, and Liz Akama - both skaters that have risen to the top of women’s skateboarding in the past year, Duran sat back satisfied with her work even before the final result came through.

“I already did my trick that I wanted to do. So I was just like, I’m going to kick back all good, no matter what happens,” Duran recalls.

The American’s relaxed attitude quickly switched tack when she later discovered she had taken home the gold - her first from X Games in five years. It was a moment of immense celebration for the Duran.

“My family was there. We were pretty excited. It was a good time,” she says with a big grin.

"Maybe I should continue and see where it takes me"

More than just being a brilliant breakthrough result, in that moment, Duran discovered something new in herself.

By consciously choosing to shake off the pressure that typically would have weighed her down, she had done better, and that, for the skater, was a revelation.

“Obviously, that’s exciting because sometimes that is the turning point for people, they take the pressure off and they’re not interested - all right, pull back, it’s not for you.

“When I took the pressure off, it was like, all right, I still want it,” she continues. “Of course, coming back with gold was really nice in those circumstances. I was not feeling 100 per cent physically at all. So, being able to perform like that, when I was maybe at like - dare I say 60 per cent? Being able to pull through for myself showed how much more I have to offer.

“It’s kind of like, all right, maybe I should do a little bit more. Maybe I should continue on this and see where it takes me.”

From California to New Mexico: on the road to Paris 2024

That energy that Duran found within herself that day is the fuel she says she is now using to power through the second half of qualification for Paris 2024 - something she calls her “ultimate goal”.

While it came to her that night before X Games, its origins track back to a little earlier.

Following the trials of Tokyo, Duran decided that 2022 would be her “break year” away from the contest scene.

Instead of bouncing around from one event to the next, the 12 months were devoted to tapping back into the sport she first started on the streets of Albuquerque at 10 years old and remembering why she fell in love with it.

“I wanted to step back from X Games and Street Leagues and stuff, because I was like, I want to go skate with my friends and film a video part,” Duran says, explaining the move.

“Last year, I was able to drop two video parts, get in the magazines a few times and kind of that as well. It was nice to have a break.

“I actually really enjoy this - skateboarding - you know? Before even talk of the Olympics that was what I was doing. Before anything was promised.”

Her commitment to reconnecting to skateboarding even saw Duran up sticks from New Mexico to California. The move has meant the skater is more entrenched in the cultural aspects of skating which provides comfort for when the homesickness kicks in.

“I do miss home, honestly. Whenever I miss home I crave certain foods from New Mexico. I’m like, ‘Oh I miss the green chilli and red chilli’, and I’m like, 'maybe I should take a trip back, hang out with the family'.

“But since I moved to California it’s been great. I’ve been able to work with a trainer a little bit and be able to street skate with my friends and then be able to prep for contests; more of what I was already doing but just easier access to it.”

Mariah Duran on Paris 2024: "I’m more dialled and mature"

Feeling happier, stronger, and more secure, Duran reiterated several times that she is locked in on making it to the next Olympic Games in Paris.

And if the last 12 months and recent win has taught her anything, her second run at the Olympics is all about respecting her needs.

“I think I’m enjoying it a lot more the second go around. Getting ready for Tokyo was so crazy. There was no right or wrong way. So I didn’t really know what was going to work. And then after going through that I was like, okay, mental peace is the main priority. So, what makes me happy? What makes me want to do these things? All right, cool. If I balance it with skating and I genuinely want to come to these amazing places, it works out.

“I’m also going to understand that the best way that I perform my best is to actually have fun and not put so much outside pressure on myself, because I’ve learned what that does and it doesn’t do good. I mean, it does great when you win but also everybody is coming to win. So you can’t really control what everybody else is doing. What I can control is how I skate and how I take it and my perspective and that’s what I just focus on.

“And at the end of the day,” she continues, “it’s just skating. Getting to skate, getting to be able to improve no matter what. I feel like, I’m more dialled and mature in the aspect of whatever happens happens. I’m accepting adversity; I’m accepting wins. Anything like that - that doesn’t validate me anymore.”