Skateboarding Park World Championships 2022 in 2023: Rising stars to watch
From Nagahara Yuro to Minna Stess, discover the names of the skateboarders who have the potential to produce breakout performances when park worlds get underway in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
Skateboarding
When the 2022 Skateboarding Park World Championships 2022 in 2023 begin at the Aljada skatepark in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, all eyes will be on the discipline’s biggest stars.
Names like Sky Brown, Jagger Eaton and Keegan Palmer will headline as the world’s best descend on the desert to launch their Paris 2024 Olympic qualifying campaigns.
But right behind them will be the skateboarders of the future. The next generation talents who have been patiently watching in the wings, growing in strength and are now poised to claim the spotlight for own.
Ahead of the competition start, Olympics.com has picked out the rising park skateboarders to watch out for in Sharjah.
1. Nagahara Yuro - Japan
Japan revealed itself as a hotbed for skate talent when five of its athletes picked up Olympic medals at Tokyo 2020, in 2021.
Horigome Yuto, Yosozumi Sakura, Hiraki Kokona, Nishiya Momiji and Nakayama Funa overnight all became households names when they impressed enough to finish on the podium in both street and park events when skateboarding made its Olympic debut.
Given the depth of talent Japan flashed the Games, it is with good reason people turn to the Asian nation when it comes to identifying future stars. And when it comes to park, Nagahara Yuro is a skater on the rise.
The 17-year-old made himself first known last year when he finished in first at the Japan Open in April. Later that same month, he then clinched fourth at X Games Chiba behind Olympic street bronze medallist Eaton, Australia’s Kieran Woolley and Team USA’s Liam Pace.
Showing that April was no fluke, Nagahara returned to the top spot in his country at the Japanese national skateboarding championships in Murakami, Niigata.
2. Minna Stess - United States
If those in the United States want to know what the future of women’s park looks like, then they should look no further than Minna Stess.
The 16-year-old's trajectory until now has been one on the up.
Crowned as the youngest female skater to win a USA skateboarding championship back in 2021 the 16-year-old Californian was named an alternate for Tokyo 2020 in 2021.
In 2022 Stess finished sixth at X Games Chiba before improving to fifth at Summer X Games a few months later. Then at the STU Rio Open she pierced through the pack finishing on the podium in third behind Olympic gold and bronze medallists Brown and Yosozumi who took first and second respectively.
3. Kieran Woolley - Australia
Australia knows all too well what it means to have an Olympic park champion: Palmer struck gold for his country at Tokyo 2020.
But sitting behind his countryman in fifth was Kieran Woolley who, since the Games, has come on leaps and bounds.
The 19-year-old Australian made two X Games podiums last year taking silver on his debut in Chiba, Japan before then winning gold at the summer edition ahead of United States’ Gavin Bottger and Brazilian Tokyo 2020 Olympic finalist Luiz Francisco.
With all-important Paris 2024 ranking points on the line in Sharjah all eyes will be on Palmer to see what he can do as the defending Olympic champion, but it might also be the perfect time for his countryman to strike.
4. Raicca Ventura - Brazil
Home of Tokyo 2020 street silver medallist and newly crowned world champion Rayssa Leal, Brazil is another country renowned for its ability to pump out skateboarding talent.
At the Games, two out of three Brazilians made the women’s park final coming second only to Japan who enjoyed all three of their athletes qualifying.
Spots on the Paris 2024 team for Brazil’s women’s park contest will be tough not least with the arrival of fresh talent Raicca Ventura.
Already touted in her country as her country’s next promised star, the 15-year-old from Sao Paulo gave credence to the claim after she finished first in the national championships last year. Then, at the STU Rio Open in October, the relative newcomer challenged all the way to the top finishing the contest just off the podium in fourth.
Sharjah will be Ventura’s first international contest and there will be many eager to see how she does.
5. Gavin Bottger - United States
After striking silver on his X Games debut at just 14 years old, US skateboarder Gavin Bottger seemed almost destined for the big time.
Just a year later, the teen is now coming through on that promise.
Originally from South Lake Tahoe and now residing in California, Bottger produced another X Games silver at the summer event last year before then going on to strike gold at Dew Tour 2022, beating Olympic champion Palmer and Tokyo 2020 finalist Francisco to the top.
Named to the United States Olympic skateboarding team for the second-year running, Bottger’s is a name worth noting for the future.