Olympic Qualifier Series Shanghai Day 2 wrap-up: Alberto Gines, Jagger Eaton progress as Oda Yumeka exits
Check out the highlights and key moments from Day 2 of the OQS Shanghai on 17 May, where there was sport climbing (lead), skateboarding (men's park and women's street), and BMX Freestyle Park action.
There was drama aplenty on Day 2 of the Olympic Qualifier Series Shanghai on Friday (17 May).
Another hot day greeted athletes at the sport climbing arena in the morning, as they embarked on lead qualification.
Alberto Gines kept his cool, however. The Spanish Olympic champion was the only competitor to get most of the crowd physically out of their seats as he almost topped the course with other-worldy flexibility and strength, ensuring his progression to the semi-finals on 18 May in top spot.
He will be joined by Czech superstar Adam Ondra, but not Bouldering world champion Mickael Mawem, who crashed out of the event with another disappointing effort.
In the women's division, Tokyo 2020 silver medallist Nonaka Miho of Japan propelled herself to the top of the overall Bouldering and Lead leaderboard, qualifying for the semi-finals in first place, just ahead of fellow qualifier Brooke Raboutou.
It was then over to the eagerly anticipated speed climbers for their qualification round, where Poland's Aleksandra Kalucka secured top spot on the leaderboard with a time of 6.55 seconds, and passage into the 1/8 finals tomorrow (18 May).
The People's Republic of China enjoyed a great day with home hero Wu Peng clinching the fastest men's qualifying time, while Zhou Yafei sealed second in the women's.
Indonesia also showed their prowess on the wall, taking second, third, and fifth place in the men's through former world record holder Veddriq Leonardo, Kiromal Katibin, and Raharjati Nursamsa, respectively.
BMX Freestyle Park qualification - OQS Shanghai
Friday also saw the first BMX Freestyle Park qualification rounds take place.
There was another memorable Chinese moment when local riders Sun Sibei, Sun Jiaqi, and Deng Yawen secured a 1-2-3 finish respectively to qualify for tomorrow's final (18 May).
British Olympic champ Charlotte Worthington just scraped through in 11th, alongside two other Olympic medallists in USA's Hannah Roberts, and Nikita Ducarroz of Switzerland.
USA youngster Marcus Chistopher shocked a stacked field in the men's competition by taking top spot in qualification. Olympic champion Logan Martin of Australia settled for third.
Team GB's reigning world champion Kieran Reilly also safely made the final in sixth position, alongside Venezuela's Tokyo 2020 silver medallist Daniel Dhers, who survived a scare to qualify in the 12th and final spot.
Eaton progresses, Oda out in skateboarding
USA's Jagger Eaton moved a step closer to achieving his goal of competing in the skateboarding men's park and street contests at Paris 2024 by clinching a park semi-final berth in second place (84.36). The 23-year-old Tokyo 2020 medallist qualified third for the men's street semifinal last night.
Joining Eaton in the park semi-finals are compatriots Tate Carew, Tom Schaar and Gavin Bottger. The U.S. skaters were bettered for places in the semis by Brazil who will have five representatives in tomorrow's showdown, including Pedro Quintas, Pedro Barros, Augusto Akio, Pedro Carvalho and Luigi Cini.
Elsewhere, reigning Australian Olympic champion Keegan Palmer punched his semi-final ticket.
Later, there was high drama in the women's street event, where Japanese world champ Oda Yumeka crashed out.
But her compatriot, Akama Liz, ensured that Japanese fans had something to cheer about as she scooped top spot in qualifying, alongside fellow Japanese skaters Nakayama Funa, Nishiya Momiji, Yoshizawa Coco and Ito Miyu.
Another athlete to keep an eye out for in the next round is 14-year-old Cui Chenxi, who was the People's Republic of China's top qualifier in fifth.
A total of 464 athletes (including 81 Olympians and 7 Olympic champions) are competing at OQS Shanghai across the four sports, with a 50-50 split between men and women.
The two Olympic Qualifier Series events, in Shanghai and Budapest respectively, wcelebrate of sport and culture, with music, fashion and art combining with sports competition to create a festival experience.
As National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective teams at the Olympic Games, athletes' participation at Paris 2024 depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation. Click here to view the qualification system for each sport.
You can watch the Olympic Qualifier Series (OQS) in Shanghai from 16 to 19 May live on Olympic Channel via Olympics.com and the official Olympics app for mobile devices.
