Vert Skateboarding World Skate Games Italia 2024: Preview, schedule and how to watch live
Paris 2024 Olympic medallists Arisa Trew and Augusto Akio headline the skateboarders set to compete for world vert titles at the World Skate Games Italia 2024.
Skateboarding
Fresh from dazzling the world at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, the world's best skateboarders are returning to action at the World Skate Games Italia 2024 where 156 world titles will be up for grabs in the multisport world championship event.
Two of those will be awarded to the best men's and women's vert skateboarders with the vert events scheduled for 3-7 September at the Terrazza del Pincio in downtown Rome.
Among those set to compete are a host of Olympic names including recently minted park medallists Arisa Trew and Augusto Akio.
Trew, 14, wrote history in Paris after striking gold becoming Australia's youngest-ever Olympic champion, while Akio became Brazil's second Olympic men's park medallist after Pedro Barros at Tokyo 2020.
Both Trew and Akio, like many park skaters, are well acquainted with the intricacies of vert skating. Akio returns to the World Skate Games as a vert world bronze medallist after climbing onto the podium at the last edition of the event in 2022.
Trew similarly knows what success tastes like in the discipline. Earlier this year, the Australian teenager became the first woman ever to land a 900 (two and a half rotations) on a vert ramp.
Joining them in Italy will be reigning men's vert world champion Edouard Damestoy, women's world runner-up Kaihara Asahi and other skateboarding Olympians including Bryce Wettstein and Luigi Cini.
Find out more about the event including what to expect and how to watch, below.
What is vert skateboarding?
Vertical skateboarding or 'vert' skateboarding is the discipline of riding a skateboard on a near-vertical surface. In its infancy, in the mid-1960s, this would include empty swimming pools. Nowadays a halfpipe structure with walls as tall as 3.6m (12ft) are used.
The process typically begins at the top of the ramp on a flat surface. The skater then drops into the ramp, transitioning from horizontal to vertical, and picking up speed on the way. The momentum generated from the transition eventually enables the skater to perform tricks on and above the coping (the metal pipe on the top of the ramp).
Notable vert skateboarders include Tony Hawk who is credited for having landed the first-ever 900 as well as dominating contests in the discipline from the mid-1980s onwards.
World Skate Games Italia 2024 Vert Skateboarding: Schedule in full
Tuesday 3 September
- Women's and men's official practice - 9:15 - 18:50
Wednesday 4 September
- Women's and men's official practice - 9:00 - 17:15
Thursday 5 September
- Women's open qualifier - 13:05 - 16:20
Friday 6 September
- Men's open qualifier -14:45 - 19:50
Saturday 7 September
- Women's final - 16:35 - 17:50
- Men's final - 18:20 - 19:35
- Awards ceremony - 19:50
Arisa Trew of Australia competes in the Women's Skateboard Vert Final at X Games Ventura 2024
Current vert world title holders from World Skate Games Buenos Aires 2022
Men
- Edouard Damestoy (FRA)
- Gui Khury (BRA)
- Augusto Akio (BRA)
Women
- Fujii Yurin JPN)
- Kaihara Asahi (JPN)
- Lilly Stoephasius (GER)
How to watch Vert Skateboarding at World Skate Games Italia 2024
Select action from the World Skate Games Italia 2024 - including vert skateboarding - will be available to stream live on Olympic Channel via Olympics.com and the official Olympics app for mobile devices.
- Skateboarding Vert finals - Saturday 7 September
- Skateboarding Street semi-finals and finals - 13-14 September
- Skateboard Park semi-finals and finals 21-22 September
The are restrictions in place for the following territories: Japan, People's Republic of China, Brazil, Hong Kong, China, Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Ireland, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye, Ukraine and United Kingdom.