Funa Nakayama (3rd R) poses with Japanese skaters after winning gold at the World Skate Street Skateboarding Championships in Rome, Italy on July 3, 2022. (Photo courtesy of Olympics.com)
Funa Nakayama led Japanese skaters' podium sweep in the women's final at the World Skate Street Skateboarding Championships in Rome.
ROME, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Funa Nakayama of Japan dominated the women's final, while Nyjah Huston of the United States took gold in the men's final at the World Skate Street Skateboarding Championships here on Sunday.
As the first qualifier for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, five of Tokyo 2020's medalists launched their qualifying campaign in Rome.
In the women's final, Tokyo 2020 bronze medalist Nakayama fended off compatriot and Olympic champion Momiji Nishiya with the highest-scoring trick of the final - kickflip out to the front sideboard slide to take gold with 264.13 points, while Yumeka Oda scored 254.91 points to complete the all-Japanese podium.
World No. 1 Huston outscored France's Aurelien Giraud to claim gold in the men's final as he delivered his finale trick to score the highest mark of the night. Gustavo Ribeiro of Portugal pocketed the bronze. Tokyo 2020 champion Yuto Horigome of Japan finished eighth.
Zeng Wenhui of China in action during the semifinal of the World Skate Street Skateboarding Championships on July 2, 2022. (By Roberto Ferranti)
China's Zeng Wenhui, who finished sixth in women's street at Tokyo 2020, suffered a heel injury in practice and failed to make the final.
"I didn't land my tricks well enough," Zeng told Xinhua after the semifinal on Saturday. "I delivered about 40 percent of what I have."
"I think that she could have got a much better result given the standard that she's at," said Daniel Wileman, skate street coach of China's national team. "Unfortunately within the first two days of practice, Zoey [Wenhui] sustained a pretty bad heel injury, which obviously has a very serious effect when you skate."
The next Paris 2024 qualifying events, Rio World Skate Park World Championships 2022 and Rio World Skate Street World Championships 2022, will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from October 2-9 and October 9-16, respectively. ■