The Paris 2024 Olympic qualification process continues for Aussie Park skaters this month, as they head to San Juan, Argentina for the next stop of the World Skate Tour.
Close to 180 skaters will go head-to-head at Skatepark Pocito from 21 - 28 May, with fifteen skaters named to the Australian Team.
Following their impressive top-10 performances at the World Championships in February, Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medalist, and recent Japan 2023 X Games champion Keegan Palmer, and previous X Games winner Kieran Woolley will lead the Australian men’s contingent in Argentina.
Also named to the team are World Championships representatives Ash Wilcomes, Keefer Wilson, Ethan Copeland, Phoenix Sinnerton, Marley Rae and Dylan Donnini.
Sixteen-year-old Keefer Wilson finished 16th at the Japan X Games on the weekend, and placed 24th out of 125 skaters at the recent World Championships in UAE. He said that he’s looking forward to competing at a new skate park for the next Olympic qualifying event.
“My biggest takeaway from the World Championships in the UAE is to get to the contest earlier and get practice on the course,” he said. “So, I can’t wait to get over to the San Juan Park event, I love going to new parks.
“My expectations would be to make the final, and my goal is to podium.”
In the women’s competition, Ruby Trew and Arisa Trew will be looking to build on their impressive 10th and 20th place finishes respectively from the 2022 Sharjah World Championships.
Tokyo Olympian Poppy Olsen will join the team in San Juan, named alongside fellow World Championships teammates Charlotte Health, Taniah Meyers, Aaliyah Wilson and Zahra Johns.
Twelve-year-old Arisa Trew placed fourth at the Japan 2023 X Games in Chiba over the weekend. However, prior to this, she has been spending time in Argentina, practicing at Skatepark Pocito in San Juan at the foot of the Argentinian Andes mountains.
“I cannot wait to compete in another Olympic qualifier,” Arisa said.
“I went to Argentina for two weeks - the park is fun and I love the deep end, it has a super fun jump box.”
“My goal in the Argentina qualifier is to make semi finals or finals,” she said.
Skate Australia’s High Performance Manager, Debbie Savage, said she is looking forward to seeing the Park athletes return to the world stage on their Olympic qualifying journey.
“The Australian female and male Park Skateboarding Team have been diligently preparing with focused intent to reach their individual goals they have set for this second Olympic Qualification Event,” Savage said.
“Each skater has an individual strategy for Phase 1 of the Olympic qualification competitions, and we are excited to see each athlete remain aligned to their personal journey for individual success. The two year window of qualification requires skate stamina and strategy is key to ensure sustainability over this period.”
The San Juan Park World Skate Tour in Argentina gets underway with official practice starting on Sunday 21 May. The competition kicks off with qualifiers on Wednesday 24 May, with the finals on Sunday 28 May. Find out more here
Australian Team for San Juan Park World Skate Tour, 21 - 28 May 2023
Ethan Copeland
Dylan Donnini
Charlotte Heath
Zahra Johns
Taniah Meyers
Poppy Olsen
Keegan Palmer
Marley Rae
Phoenix Sinnerton
Arisa Trew
Ruby Trew
Ash Wilcomes
Aaliyah Wilson
Keefer Wilson
Kieran Woolley
Competition Schedule
21 - 23 May: Official Practice Sessions
Wednesday 24 May: Women’s Qualifiers
Thursday 25 May: Men’s Qualifiers
Friday 26 May: Women’s top-32 Quarterfinals
Saturday 27 May: Men’s top-32 Quarterfinals, Women’s & Men’s top-16 Semifinal (streamed live on The Olympic Channel)
Sunday 28 May: Women’s & Men’s top-8 Final (streamed live on The Olympic Channel)