Street League Skateboarding made it's Australian debut over the weekend, with a sold-out event at Sydney’s Ken Rosewall Arena.
Following the Select Series and Knockout rounds on Friday, Saturday's Championship Tour Finals featured Australia's Chloe Covell in the Women's event, and Tommy Fynn and Shane O'Neill in the Men's event, battling in a high-stakes, winner-takes-all format, with the results going down to the last tricks.
In the women’s final, Australia’s own Chloe Covell (Tweed Heads, NSW) set out to defend her win at the tour’s second stop in Tokyo.
The 13-year-old skate prodigy – SLS’ youngest competitor - quickly made an emphatic statement with her first run, earning an 8.9 score. But Covell stumbled in the single trick section, failing to land her first two attempts.
The venerable Rayssa Leal (Imperatriz, Brazil) soon took the lead, but Covell never wavered. With her last trick, needing at least a 7.2 to reclaim first, she stuck a huge 9.0, turning up the heat on Leal.
As the crowd roared, the two hugged - a powerful gesture of mutual respect and support – before Leal dropped in for her last attempt. She pulled out all the stops, but could not hang onto the landing, sealing the win for Covell. Momiji Nishiya (Osaka, Japan), Tokyo 2020’s gold medalist, rounded out the podium.
“It’s so crazy I’m speechless. I can’t believe this has happened,” Covell reflected after her victory.
“Winning my first Street League in Japan was mind-blowing, but now to do it in front of my home country is even better.”
In the men’s final, Felipe Gustavo (Brasilia, Brazil) held off both SLS Pro Dashawn Jordan (Phoenix, Arizona USA) and global icon Nyjah Huston (Southern Californa, USA) with a massive 8.8 score on his last trick to clinch his first SLS tour win. Fynn was the top placed Aussie in 8th, with O'Neill 12th.
In Friday's SLS Select Series Final, Rome Collyer finished third in the Men's event. Haylie Powell placed third in the Women's event, with Hayley Wilson fifth.
Saturday’s results set the stage for the SLS Super Crown World Championship. On 2-3 December, 2023, the Super Crown returns to Brazil, a key destination in global skateboarding culture.
