WST Dubai Street 2024: Chloe Covell qualifies top of the pile for women's final
The Australian put down two 90+ scores to clinch her finals ticket while Olympic and world champions Nishiya Momiji and Oda Yumeka failed to advance.
Skateboarding
Australia’s Chloe Covell put on another stunning display to qualify top for the women's street skateboarding final at WST Dubai Street 2024 on Sunday (10 March).
Not even the heat of the afternoon sun could slow down the 14-year-old top qualifier as she stomped around the course, first putting down a 90.41 run before finding another gear to improve the score to 93.49 with her second attempt.
Covell's scores were the only ones to breach the 90.00 mark in the semifinals with her 93.49 being the highest-ever awarded to a women's run in Olympic qualifying.
Some eight points behind Covell was Brazil's Rayssa Leal (85.41) who led young gun Cui Chenxi (82.99) of the People's Republic of China and five Japanese skaters, including 12-year-old unranked skater Matsumoto Ibuki, through to the final.
While it was yet another impressive display of Japanese depth, a group of heavy hitters failed to advance.
World champion Oda Yumeka and Olympic gold medallist Nishiya Momiji were unable to impress the judges with their second runs, having fallen on their first. Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist Nakayama Funa also did not make the cut.
After yesterday's semifinal was postponed due to adverse weather conditions, it was decided that the two-45-second run - best run counts - format would be used for the semifinal to allow time for the final also later today.
WST Dubai Street 2024: Women's semifinal results and best run scores
The top 8 advanced to the final.
- Chloe Covell (AUS) - 93.49
- Rayssa Leal (BRA) - 85.41
- Cui Chenxi (CHN) - 82.24
- Matsumoto Ibuki (JPN) - 82.24
- Akama Liz (JPN) - 78.42
- Yoshizawa Coco (JPN) - 74.95
- Fujisawa Nanaka (JPN) - 70.16
- Ito Miyu (JPN) - 68.63
- Oda Yumeka (JPN) - 68.05
- Nishiya Momiji (JPN) - 66.12
- Roos Zwetsloot (NED) - 64.85
- Lucie Schoonheere (FRA) - 62.10
- Liv Lovelace (AUS) - 48.92
- Jessica Ready (NZL) - 39.11
- Nakayama Funa (JPN) - 33.14
- Nakajima Nonoka (JPN) - 11.26
Full results can be found here.