Yoshizawa Coco leads Japanese podium sweep in women’s street title final at OQS Budapest
The teenager claimed victory in dramatic fashion with a final trick tilt in the women's street final at the Olympic Qualifier Series in Budapest on Sunday (23 June).
Skateboarding
Faced with falling painstakingly short of her Olympic dream, Yoshizawa Coco did not flinch as she moved from fourth to first place at the Olympic Qualifier Series (OQS) in Budapest on Sunday (23 June).
The 14-year-old Yoshizawa threw her hands in the air with delight as she stuck her fifth and final trick, perhaps sensing she had done enough to secure an Olympic quota*. Yoshizawa needed to finish, at the very least, in third place to be in contention.
The teen delivered in spades winning the women’s street competition with a combined score of 270.29 points to edge reigning world champion and compatriot Oda Yumeka (268.52) into second place. The podium belonged to Japan with Nakayama Funa rounding it out for third place with 263.62.
A battle within the contest for the podium raged among the Japanese skaters with only three quotas up for grabs in a deep talent pool. Five of the skaters in the final hail from Japan.
This resulted in a highly entertaining and competitive competition with four skateboarders managing 80 points and higher during the run section.
Oda led the charge scoring 85.43 points with less than three points separating her from the fourth-placed Chloe Covell.
As the competition progressed and the lead changed hands after almost every turn, the skaters turned up the heat. The concrete took a pounding as the skaters upped the ante.
With only one trick in the bag by the fourth attempt, pressure started to build for Oda. Flashing her temperament for the big moment, Oda delivered a sparkling diamond from the pressure with the highest-scoring trick of the competition with 95.81.
Nakayama moved into second place behind Oda scoring a whopping 96.84 before Yoshizawa delivered her the goods with her final tilt.
Covell, who came into the final as the top-ranked skater from the semis, had to settle for fifth place with a score of 261.47.
I didn’t qualify in first from the semifinal so I was a little worried about how the finals would go for me today. But I believed in myself and that if I did the best I could do, I could come in first today in finals. I didn’t worry about anyone else, I just focused on my performance,” said a relieved Yoshizawa.
OQS Budapest was the last chance for skaters to accrue ranking points which will be used to determine the final field for the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
*As National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective countries at the Olympic Games, athletes' participation at the Paris Games depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation at Paris 2024.
Click here to see the official qualification system for each sport.
Olympic Qualifier Series: Women's street final results
Best run score and two best trick scores combined.
- Yoshizawa Coco (JPN) – 270.29
- Oda Yumeka (JPN) – 268.52
- Nakayama Funa (JPN) – 263.62
- Akama Liz (JPN) – 262.50
- Chloe Covell (AUS) – 261.47
- Ito Miyu (JPN) – 250.73
- Cui Chenxi (CHN) – 239.91
- Paige Heyn (USA) – 221.15