Hometown Hero Braden Hoban Earns First Ever SLS Win in Front of Adoring Crowd; Current SLS Super Crown Champion Holder Giovanni Vianna Earns Silver; Decorated Pro Gustavo Ribeiro Rounds Out Podium
Rayssa Leal Confirms Superstar Status with Seventh Win in 10 Starts; Chloe Covell Follows Paris Victory with Strong Second Place Finish; 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games Gold Medalist Momiji Nishiya Places Third
SLS San Diego Presented by Nissin Cup Noodles
(San Diego, California– Saturday April 20, 2024) Street League Skateboarding continued its 2024 season in the epicenter of skating, Southern California, and put on a show for 8,000 plus fans at Viejas Arena in San Diego. As the final SLS major before this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris, the stakes for SLS San Diego were far greater than just points toward the Super Crown Championship at the end of the year. The world’s best male and female street skateboarders were looking to make a major statement not just in SLS but globally as well.
In the men’s final, the stars aligned for San Diego area native Braden Hoban (Encinitas, USA) as he won his first ever SLS event in front of a rapturous home crowd. With all the men’s finalists gunning for massive tricks, it was Hoban’s consistency which brought home the victory, with two 9’s and an 8.8 in the trick section. This was after Hoban outlasted Olympic Gold Medalist and multi-SLS winner Yuto Horigome in the knockout stages. The win will certainly buoy Hoban’s optimism for attaining an Olympic spot on Team USA in July. Coming up just short was Brazil’s Giovanni Vianna, who barely missed landing a few big tricks that would have pushed Hoban but who ended his evening landing an important 8.6 score in his final go that secured him silver. Nabbing a third straight podium finish in SLS Major events was Gustavo Ribeiro(Portugal), who continues to earn valuable points toward Super Crown qualification.
Said Hoban: “To win my first ever SLS event in front of my friends and family in San Diego is surreal. You always picture winning but then when it happens, it’s a feeling like nothing else. Hearing the arena chant my name on some of my final runs is something I’ll always remember.”
In the women’s field, Brazil’s Rayssa Leal rebounded from her 2nd place finish at SLS Paris in February to top the podium for the seventh time in her last 10 SLS events. This remarkable run has Leal poised for big things in 2024 - everything from another SLS Super Crown World Championship to potentially her first Olympic Gold. In San Diego, Leal went big tackling the much vaunted 12-stair rail on the course and landing a perfect kickflip backside lipslide which earned her the only 9 score of the evening in the women’s bracket. Capturing second place was Chloe Covell (Australia), who came into the event riding high after her massive victory at SLS Paris. While giving fans a fun variety of tricks on the course, Leal’s massive night provide too much to overcome. Covell will now have her sights set on the rest of the SLS calendar, especially the just announced SLS Sydney in October, where she’ll look to defend her victory from 2023 in front of her fellow Aussies. Rounding out the podium in third place was 2020 Olympic Gold Medalist Momiji Nishiya (Japan) who emerged with the highest line score of the night amongst the women in the finals but couldn’t land her last two trick attempts to try and steal the top spot.
Said Leal: “While winning always feels good, I’m super proud that I got a nine in my last trick run. Getting a nine is super difficult for the women, so landing that was special. As for the future, sure the Olympics are coming up and I am preparing, but I also must take things day by day. It’s important to not get too far ahead and lose focus.”
SLS continues the season with their second APEX format from Las Vegas on May 25 which can be streamed live and free on Rumble Sportsat https://rumble.com/sls. The new spot-based championship tour event promises to wow fans as the world’s best skaters land tricks in a challenging and intimate setting.
For more Street League Skateboarding news, including the Championship Tour updates, and more, go to www.streetleague.com and followStreet League Skateboarding on Instagram and Facebook.
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