Sam Fogarty: Australian inline veteran still mixing with world's best
After more than three decades on skates, Australian inline veteran Sam Fogarty is showing no signs of slowing down.
Fogarty, 45, will compete across street, park and vert at the World Skate Games in Paraguay, continuing an international career that began when he was just a teenager.
“I’ve been skating for over 30 years now. I got my first pair of skates when I was 11 or 12 back in 1992,” Fogarty said.
“I’m now 45, so I’m getting a little long in the tooth. It’s been about 35 years now since my first event, which was in the United States.”
Fogarty has experienced several generations of inline skating during his career, but a return to international competition alongside fellow Australian veteran Shane Yost has reignited his competitive appetite.
The pair made their return at the 2024 World Skate Games in Italy, an experience Fogarty said reminded him why he has remained involved in the sport for so long.
“Shane Yost and I did a bit of a comeback at the World Skate Games in 2024 in Italy, and it was great fun,” he said.
“I’ve spent a bit of time in Europe and Asia this year and I’m pretty excited to get over to Paraguay. I’ve never been to South America, so I’m keen to get over there and compete.”
Fogarty arrives in Paraguay after a strong performance at the World Cup in Ostia, Rome, where he finished ninth in the inline skate final.
The result came in a field featuring a significant generational divide, with Fogarty going head-to-head with athletes including Japan’s Haruhi Shimizu, who is around 30 years his junior.
Now, with another World Skate Games ahead, Fogarty is setting himself the ambitious target of reaching the finals in all three disciplines.
“My goal for Paraguay would be to make finals in vert and park and potentially street,” he said.
“I’ve been trying to learn some new tricks because the younger generation are stepping up quite quickly.
“It is a pretty stacked field on the vert ramp, and everyone on park and street is really strong. Making finals would be the goal across all three if possible.”
Competing at the highest level is only part of Fogarty’s contribution to Australian inline skating.
Away from competition, he has played an important role in helping develop the next generation of athletes, from organising qualifying events for junior skaters to helping young competitors find a pathway to the international stage.
It is a role that has given Fogarty a front-row seat to the evolution of the sport and to the emergence of the young athletes now pushing him to learn new tricks.
Three decades after first lacing up a pair of skates, Fogarty will once again take his place among the world's best when the World Skate Games get underway in Paraguay from October 2-18.
"It is exciting to see Australian skaters earning the opportunity to compete at an event of this magnitude. The World Skate Games brings together the very best athletes from around the globe, and we're proud to represent Australia on the world stage."
For the veteran Australian, the challenge remains much the same as it has always been: learn, compete and keep pushing the sport forward.
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