Olympic champs Yosozumi Sakura and Logan Martin take X Games Chiba crowns

Yosozumi Sakura gave her mother Kiyomi the perfect birthday present on Saturday (23 April) as she claimed her first X Games title in Chiba.

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medallist led a home podium sweep in park skateboarding ahead of Hiraki Kokona and Tezuka Mami.

"Today is my mother's birthday and I'm so happy I won a gold medal," said Yosozumi. "I'm thrilled because I hadn't won a gold before and I did it at the first X Games in Japan.

"I could never have come this far on my own. She still drives me to the park, cooks for me every day. Looks after the pet. Behind everything, she does all the things I can't. None of this would be possible without her support."

1-2 again for Yosozumi, Hiraki

Yosozumi and 13-year-old Hiraki repeated their first and second finishes in Tokyo last summer.

Hiraki had been the top qualifier, but Yosozumi turned the tables in the final against the youngest Japanese Olympic medallist in history.

Both competed through pain with Yosozumi injuring her right knee on Friday on a heelflip Indy, and Hiraki hitting her left elbow and lower back on the ground in Saturday's practice.

It's fair to say they turned out OK.

"I thought Kokona was way better than me then (Tokyo 2020) and now," said Yosozumi, who is seven years Hiraki's senior.

"I think she feels the same but we don't go into it wanting to finish first or second or thinking about medals. We just try to show what we work on in practice in competition. There's nothing between us."

Since striking gold at the Olympic Games, Yosozumi has not sat on her laurels.

Prior to Tokyo, she was practising 3-4 hours a day to avoid injury. Post-Tokyo and for the X Games, she has been upped it to six hours with as many as 11 hours some days.

The extra work has clearly paid off.

"I've never not practised the day before a competition begins," said Yosozumi, who only took to the course for the first time on Friday morning before the elimination.

"Yesterday was the first time I did things like timing myself and adjusted the 540 in a single day. That was really difficult."

And she's hopeful that the event will return to her home country.

"I definitely want it in Japan again. It'll motivate the Japanese athletes and the foreign athletes coming over will open a lot of eyes here. I really hope it continues.

"I won the X Games now so I've won them all now. I'm happy."

Horigome Yuto cruises in elimination

Yosozumi's fellow Tokyo 2020 gold medallist Horigome Yuto showed his class in the men's skateboard street elimination, qualifying first for Sunday's final.

The only obstacle in the 23-year-old's path to his second X Games crown appears to be the weather, with rain forecast at Chiba Marine Stadium.

He said, "Today, I wasn't able to show how far I've come. I am setting a bar for myself but, in the final, I hope show some new tricks and a better version of myself.

"It's why I went back to the States after the Olympics, to work on it all. I'm going to leave everything out there in the final."

Dashawn Jordan of the United States was second ahead of Brazil's Lucas Rabelo with Olympic bronze medallist Jagger Eaton fourth and Kelvin Hoefler qualifying in sixth.

Logan Martin on top again in BMX park

In the men's BMX park, Logan Martin won his fourth X Games crown on his return to Japan after winning Olympic gold.

The Australian took victory from USA's Justin Dowell with Kevin Peraza of Mexico in third.

Tokyo bronze medallist Declan Brooks just missed out on the podium in fourth place with Venezuelan veteran Daniel Dhers, who took silver in Tokyo, failing to make the final.

Martin said afterwards, "I'm stoked. Stoked to be in Japan, stoked to be competing at another X Games... this is what I work so hard for every single day. When I was growing up, I wanted to win an X Games gold medal so to now have four is amazing to me."

The 28-year-old enjoyed the atmosphere and hopes to make a quick return to the country where he is now two-for-two.

"I would be so stoked if X Games stayed in Japan. I've wanted to come to Tokyo for so long. I've been here twice now and I've been in a bubble so I haven't got to experience Tokyo properly. So I'd love to come back, love to actually experience it without all the COVID lockdowns and things like that."

When asked how he would mark this latest triumph, Martin said, "I don't really celebrate this stuff. I get back to work when I go home. I'm going to pack my bike, get on a flight tomorrow and go see my family. I don't drink, I don't party... I'm stoked at my achievements but I just get back to work."