Olympic Qualifier Series: From Rayssa Leal to Kelvin Hoefler know the Brazilian skateboarders in action
Discover your guide to skateboarding at OQS including the Brazilian superstars, rising stars and all-important stakes heading into the qualifier showdown in Shanghai and Budapest.
Skateboarding
The Olympic Qualifier Series (OQS) 2024 will be a bumper display of multi-sport action and for skateboarders set to compete in the event, the stakes couldn’t be higher.
By the end of the two-part process, kicking off in Shanghai, People’s Republic of China from 16-19 May and concluding in Budapest, Hungary on 20-23 June, the field for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 will be known with 20 skaters set to obtain a quota spot.
The Olympic qualifying journey so far has been long and testing.
Over the past two years, park and street skaters have been competing in phase one of qualification. That entailed stops across the world, where World Skate Ranking (WSR) points were awarded based on finishing positions. More points were up for grabs at world championship events to raise the intensity. From all competitions, only the top four results contributed towards their ranking.
Following the final stop of phase one in Dubai in February this year a cut to the field was made. Only the top 44 eligible skaters were invited to partake in phase two of qualifying: OQS.
Just as with phase one, WSR points will be the ultimate determinant as to who will secure a quota spot for Paris but for the two OQS stops, the ante has been upped.
The points on offer will be worth nearly three times more in Shanghai and Budapest than in the world championships in phase one, meaning no one is safe and everything is to skate for.
But there’s more.
Only three skaters from one National Olympic Committee (NOC) can compete at the Games meaning, for countries where there is depth, the battle will not just be to finish in the top 20. They must also finish in the top three. For the likes of Japan, Australia, the United States and Brazil where inter-country competition is fiercest, there is an extra layer of intrigue at play.
So, what does this all mean for the skaters of Team Brazil who will be taking part in OQS?
In the below, Olympics.com runs the rule over each of the skaters that will be hitting the park bowl and street rails and examining the lay of the land ahead of Shanghai.
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.
Brazil Skateboarders at OQS 2024: Men’s Street
The World Skateboarding Ranking is made up of the best four Olympic qualifying results from phase one.
9. Kelvin Hoefler, 31
WSR Points: 86,873
Top 4 Olympic Qualifying Results
- World Skateboarding Tour - Rome Street 2022 - 14th
- Street World Championship Sharjah 2022 - 4th
- World Skateboarding Tour - Rome Street 2023 - 3rd
- Street World Championship Tokyo 2023 - 25th
17. Giovanni Vianna, 23
WSR Points: 51,014
Top 4 Olympic Qualifying Results
- Street World Championship Sharjah 2022 - 15th
- World Skateboarding Tour - Rome Street 2023 - 18th
- World Skateboarding Tour - Lausanne Street 2023 - 3rd
- World Skateboarding Tour - Dubai Street 2024 - 18th
22. Felipe Gustavo, 33
WSR Points: 32,944
Top 4 Olympic Qualifying Results
- Street World Championship Sharjah 2022 - 38th
- World Skateboarding Tour - Rome Street 2023 - 5th
- Street World Championship Tokyo 2023 - 33rd
- World Skateboarding Tour - Dubai Street 2024 - 14th
23. Gabryel Aguilar, 24
WSR Points: 27,926
Top 4 Olympic Qualifying Results
- World Skateboarding Tour - Rome Street 2022 - 11th
- World Skateboarding Tour - Rome Street 2023 - 15th
- World Skateboarding Tour - Lausanne Street 2023 - 25th
- Street World Championship Tokyo 2023 - 14th
36. Lucas Rabelo, 25
WSR Points: 10,741
Top 4 Olympic Qualifying Results
- Street World Championship Sharjah 2022 - 27th
- World Skateboarding Tour - Rome Street 2023 - 30th
- Street World Championship Tokyo 2023 - 22nd
- World Skateboarding Tour - Dubai Street 2024 - 24th
39. Filipe Mota, 17
WSR Points: 7,422
Top 4 Olympic Qualifying Results
- World Skateboarding Tour - Rome Street 2022 - 19th
- World Skateboarding Tour - Rome Street 2023 - 21st
- World Skateboarding Tour - Lausanne Street 2023 - 20th
- Street World Championship Tokyo 2023 - 37th
Brazil Men’s Street Skateboarding: The stakes
It is a nod to Brazil's status as a skateboarding superpower that it has managed to field six skaters in all four events for OQS and for the riders in the battle for an Olympic quota spot, that depth will be both a point of pride and one of the hardest parts to digest.
Of all the countries on the road to Paris 2024, no one has shown a family spirit quite like the Brazilians.
Who, and how many, from Brazil will secure a quota spot for Paris is one of the most fascinating questions heading into Shanghai, and the men's street contest promises to be an intriguing prospect.
Throughout phase one no one Brazilian has strung together consistent performances. The closest to have come to that has been Tokyo 2020 silver medallist Kelvin Hoefler, but even he hasn't delivered as he might have liked particularly in the most recent contests.
He, along with fellow Olympian Giovanni Vianna, are the only two from Brazil to have made a street men's podium in phase one and both are better for it as they head to the People's Republic of China in the top 20.
For those outside, including Felipe Gustavo, Gabryel Aguilar, Lucas Rabelo and Filipe Mota, there is work to do. But you wouldn't count them out.
Gustavo in particular is a proven veteran with the ability to perform when it counts. Should he get inside the top 20 and stay there with Vianna and Hoefler then all three stand to make back-to-back Olympic appearances.
Brazil Skateboarders at OQS 2024: Women’s Street
The World Skateboarding Ranking is made up of the best four Olympic qualifying results from phase one.
2. Rayssa Leal, 16
WSR Points: 197,465
Top 4 Olympic Qualifying Results
- World Skateboarding Tour - Rome Street 2022 - 5th
- Street World Championship Sharjah 2022 - 1st
- World Skateboarding Tour - Rome Street 2023 - 4th
- Street World Championship Tokyo 2023 - 2nd
8. Pamela Rosa, 24
WSR Points: 80,344
Top 4 Olympic Qualifying Results
- World Skateboarding Tour - Rome Street 2022 - 8th
- Street World Championship Sharjah 2022 - 8th
- World Skateboarding Tour - Rome Street 2023 - 13th
- World Skateboarding Tour - Lausanne Street 2023 - 5th
11. Gabi Mazetto, 26
WSR Points: 59,157
Top 4 Olympic Qualifying Results
- World Skateboarding Tour - Rome Street 2022 - 14th
- Street World Championship Sharjah 2022 - 6th
- World Skateboarding Tour - Rome Street 2023 - 7th
- World Skateboarding Tour - Lausanne Street 2023 - 28th
29. Kemily Suiara, 23
WSR Points: 8,953
Top 4 Olympic Qualifying Results
- Street World Championship Sharjah 2022 - 69th
- World Skateboarding Tour - Rome Street 2023 - 22nd
- World Skateboarding Tour - Lausanne Street 2023 - 15th
- Street World Championship Tokyo 2023 - 32nd
32. Isabelly Avila, 19
WSR Points: 7,980
Top 4 Olympic Qualifying Results
- Street World Championship Tokyo 2023 - 19th
- World Skateboarding Tour - Dubai Street 2024 - 33rd
42. Marina Gabriela, 20
WSR Points: 5,206
Top 4 Olympic Qualifying Results
- World Skateboarding Tour - Rome Street 2022 - 42nd
- Street World Championship Sharjah 2022 - 32nd
- Street World Championship Tokyo 2023 - 47th
- World Skateboarding Tour - Dubai Street 2024 - 24th
Brazil Women’s Street Skateboarding: The stakes
After enchanting her homeland following her stunning Olympic debut, Rayssa Leal has shown little signs of slowing down as Paris approaches.
Even as the field of challengers in women's street has expanded, with Japan in particular producing a string of rising stars, the phenom from Imperatiz has continued to improve ensuring her position as the second-highest ranked skater heading into OQS.
Inside the top 10 with Leal is another name Brazilians will know all too well.
Pamela Rosa, currently ranked eighth, has been a steady constant throughout phase one. While she may have lacked the tools to land a finishing blow and make a podium, Rosa has shown she can still make finals, and that will be crucial at OQS.
Rounding out Brazil's top three is Gabi Mazetto, who, if she secures a quota spot to Paris, could well be one of the most remarkable stories in Olympic skateboarding.
Well in the hunt for a spot in the lead-up to Tokyo, Mazetto had to bow out of the race to the Games after she fell pregnant. Her daughter, born just before the Games, only inspired Mazetto's hunger for an Olympic tilt and the mother-of-one has kept in touch with the top stars on the road to Paris 2024, including making two finals in Sharjah and Rome.
Mazetto's focus will be ahead but she will also have one eye on her back with three Brazilians behind her. Leal, Rosa and Mazetto are currently well poised to be the top three contenders from their country but anything can happen in Shanghai.
Augusto Akio of Brazil during the World Championship final for men's park in Sharjah
Brazil Skateboarders at OQS 2024: Men’s Park
The World Skateboarding Ranking is made up of the best three Olympic qualifying results from phase one.
3. Augusto Akio, 23
WSR Points: 120,916
Top 4 Olympic Qualifying Results
- Park World Championship Sharjah 2022 - 2nd
- World Skateboarding Tour San Juan Park 2023 - 7th
- Park World Championship Rome Ostia 2023 - 5th
- World Skateboarding Tour Dubai Park 2024 - 14th
5. Luigi Cini, 21
WSR Points: 116,484
Top 4 Olympic Qualifying Results
- Park World Championship Sharjah 2022 - 30th
- World Skateboarding Tour San Juan Park 2023 - 1st
- Park World Championship Rome Ostia 2023 - 2nd
6. Pedro Barros, 29
WSR Points: 98,371
Top 4 Olympic Qualifying Results
- Park World Championship Sharjah 2022 - 3rd
- World Skateboarding Tour San Juan Park 2023 - 11th
- Park World Championship Rome Ostia 2023 - 6th
- World Skateboarding Tour Dubai Park 2024 - 15th
17. Pedro Quintas, 21
WSR Points: 37,635
Top 4 Olympic Qualifying Results
- Park World Championship Sharjah 2022 - 20th
- World Skateboarding Tour San Juan Park 2023 - 13th
- Park World Championship Rome Ostia 2023 - 31st
- World Skateboarding Tour Dubai Park 2024 - 5th
20. Pedro Carvalho, 18
Top 4 Olympic Qualifying Results
WSR Points: 26,451
- Park World Championship Sharjah 2022 - 32nd
- World Skateboarding Tour San Juan Park 2023 - 31st
- Park World Championship Rome Ostia 2023 - 15th
- World Skateboarding Tour Dubai Park 2024 - 9th
26. Murilo Peres, 28
WSR Points: 10,916
Top 4 Olympic Qualifying Results
- Park World Championship Sharjah 2022 - 22nd
- World Skateboarding Tour San Juan Park 2023 - 19th
- Park World Championship Rome Ostia 2023 - 27th
- World Skateboarding Tour Dubai Park 2024 - 36th
Brazil Men’s Park Skateboarding: The stakes
Only the US men rival Brazil when it comes to the depth and variety in park skateboarding heading into OQS and, just like the Americans, the Brazilians are packing a bunch of newcomers already upsetting the established order.
For those who followed Tokyo 2020, Olympic silver medallist Pedro Barros will be a familiar face and name. The 29-year-old, known for his electric energy and athleticism in the bowl, managed to stay in touch with the upstarts as they sprung seemingly out of nowhere but even he might have hoped to be higher up the order.
Sitting in sixth, ahead of him are two new names: Augusto Akio (third) and Luigi Cini (fifth).
The pair from Curitiba, friends from a young age, have complicated the competitive picture in the Olympic men's park scene, both bringing impressive composure given their relative lack of experience at the highest level. An easygoing Cini and an enchanting Akio, renowned for his juggling, have captured the imagination of crowds who have seen them ripping. If Barros wants to defend, or even improve, his medal from Japan he knows he will have to keep up with the duo.
A bit further off the pace, but certainly not to be discounted given the points system at OQS, are Pedro Quintas, Pedro Carvalho and Murilo Peres, who will arrive in Shanghai ranked 17th, 20th and 26th respectively.
Quintas certainly could be a dark horse for a spot in Brazil's top three given his best result - fifth - came most recently in Dubai where Akio and Barros both stumbled, and Cini out of action from the event altogether. Momentum is certainly not a thing to be underestimated in skateboarding.
Brazil Skateboarders at OQS 2024: Women’s Park
The World Skateboarding Ranking is made up of the best three Olympic qualifying results from phase one.
7. Raicca Ventura, 17
WSR Points: 96,023
- Park World Championship Sharjah 2022 - 11th
- World Skateboarding Tour San Juan Park 2023 - 3rd
- Park World Championship Rome Ostia 2023 - 4th
14. Dora Varella, 22
WSR Points: 45,880
- Park World Championship Sharjah 2022 - 24th
- World Skateboarding Tour San Juan Park 2023 - 6th
- Park World Championship Rome Ostia 2023 - 10th
- World Skateboarding Tour Dubai Park 2024 - 46th
16. Yndiara Asp, 26
WSR Points: 36,481
- Park World Championship Sharjah 2022 - 9th
- World Skateboarding Tour San Juan Park 2023 - 9th
- Park World Championship Rome Ostia 2023 - 33th
- World Skateboarding Tour Dubai Park 2024 - 0
20. Isadora Pacheco, 19
WSR Points: 23,446
- Park World Championship Sharjah 2022 - 32nd
- World Skateboarding Tour San Juan Park 2023 - 32nd
- Park World Championship Rome Ostia 2023 - 12th
- World Skateboarding Tour Dubai Park 2024 - 15th
38. Victoria Bassi, 16
WSR Points: 4,530
- Park World Championship Rome Ostia 2023 - 70th
- World Skateboarding Tour Dubai Park 2024 - 25th
41. Fernanda Tonissi, 17
WSR Points: 4,066
- Park World Championship Sharjah 2022 - 38th
- World Skateboarding Tour San Juan Park 2023 - 35th
- Park World Championship Rome Ostia 2023 - 62nd
- World Skateboarding Tour Dubai Park 2024 - 22nd
Brazil Women’s Park Skateboarding: The stakes
With four skaters inside the top 20 and six in contention overall, how the race for a Paris quota in women's park unfolds for Brazil will be an intriguing one.
Raicca Ventura, the lone Brazilian in the top 10, has been a revelation in this Olympic cycle. Though forced to miss the last stop in Dubai due to injury, the vert skater with electric blue hair has been a force in the park bowl with her air tricks and speed, claiming two podium finishes out of three events she has entered.
If Ventura is expected to clinch one quota owing to her current standing and form, the battle for the remaining spots will largely be expected to occur beneath her with Tokyo 2020 Brazilian representatives Dora Varella, Yndiara Asp and Isadora Pacheco sitting in 14th, 16th and 20th respectively. With Asp also suffering from an injury in Dubai little separates the three riders as it currently stands meaning the heat will be one.
In the wings, there are also Victoria Bassi and Fernanda Tassi, though they are some way off the pace.