World Skate Games Italia 2024: Liz Akama qualifies first for women's street skateboarding semi-final, Rayssa Leal follows in second
The 15-year-old Olympic silver medallist showed calm and consistency as she led Rayssa Leal and nine other Japanese skaters through to the last 16 of the world championship event in Rome.
Skateboarding
Liz Akama made light work progressing to the women's street skateboarding semi-final at World Skate Games Italia 2024 in Rome on Thursday (12 December), booking her place with a 75.61 score on her second run.
One of the three quarter-finals seeds, owing to her Olympic silver medal in Paris, Japan's Akama impressed with her consistency, finishing the quarter-finals as one of only two skaters to put down two 70+ score runs.
The other was 16-year-old Brazilian Rayssa Leal, who qualified in second place with a solid 74.74 effort on her second attempt.
The strength and depth of Japan's women street skaters was one of the main talking points in the build-up to Paris 2024 and it looks as if that dominance is here to stay with 10 skaters from the country - including Akama - into the last 16.
There were the familiar faces, including Tokyo 2020 medallists Nakayama Funa and Nishiya Momiji, who progressed through in third and seventh. And there were the newer ones, with 12-year-old Ibuki Matsumoto and Niko Sugimoto also making the cut. Reigning world champion Oda Yumeka qualified in 13th.
Also making the field for Friday's semi-final, streaming live on Olympic Channel via Olympics.com and the official Olympics app for mobile devices in select territories, were Olympians Pamela Rosa, Lucie Schoonheere, and Daniela Terol.
Rosa will join Leal in the second of the semi-final two heats, where the 2/5/3 competition format will be adopted.
Up next in Rome will be the men's quarter-finals featuring Kelvin Hoefler and Gustavo Ribeiro.
World Skate Games Italia 2024: Women's street quarter-final results
The top 16 from a field of 32 advanced to the semi-finals.
Best run score of two attempts.
- Liz Akama (JPN) - 75.61
- Rayssa Leal (BRA) - 74.74
- Nakayama Funa (JPN) - 70.75
- Matsumoto Ibuki (JPN) - 68.97
- Ito Miyu (JPN) - 67.81
- Yoshizawa Coco (JPN) - 65.35
- Nishiya Momiji (JPN) - 63.91
- Pamela Rosa (BRA) - 62.22
- Sugimoto Niko (JPN) - 62.15
- Daniela Terol (ESP) - 60.20
- Abbie Burns (ESP) - 58.58
- Onishi Nanami (JPN) - 56.29
- Oda Yumkea (JPN) - 53.32
- Liv Broder (SUI) - 48.99
- Lucie Schoonheere (FRA) - 46.82
- Uemura Aoi (JPN) - 46.00
- Natalia Munoz (ESP) - 44.68
- Laura Zackova (CZE) - 43.28
- Valentina Petric (CHI) - 41.88
- Esmeralda Butler Cantellops (PUR) - 38.39
- Afrika Criado Oliva (ESP) - 30.41
- Selma Pettersen (NOR) - 28.08
- Cerise Michaud (FRA) - 27.96
- Valentina Krauel (ESP) - 27.19
- Jeromine Louvet (FRA) - 24.45
- Julia Placek (AUT) - 23.48
- Maria Lucia De Campos (BRA) - 20.27
- Weronika Choromanska (POL) - 19.07
- Daniela Vitoria (BRA) - 16.67
- Erika Arriaga (MEX) - 10.57
- Boipelo Awuah (RSA) - 10.41
- Gaia Urbinati (ITA) - 7.61
How to watch Street Skateboarding at World Skate Games Italia 2024
Select action from the World Skate Games Italia 2024 - including street skateboarding - will be available to stream live on Olympic Channel via Olympics.com and the official Olympics app for mobile devices.
- 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.