Last week, we put together a list introducing the top five ranked women street skateboarders in the world to look out for in the upcoming Olympic qualifying season. This time around, we have the top five ranked men’s street skaters that feature prominent names, as well as lesser-known up-and-comers.
1.) Nyjah Huston (USA)
Arguably skateboarding’s most seasoned competitive skater first stepped into the arena at just 11-years old. The now 25-year-old American skateboarder has since wowed the world with countless contest wins, remarkable video parts, and mind-melting enders. Without a doubt, Nyjah is currently favored to take Gold at skateboarding’s Olympic debut in Tokyo.
2.) Yuto Horigome (JPN)
Standing on more qualifier podiums than any other skater in the 2019 season is Yuto Horigome. Hailing from Japan, Yuto was able to make a complete 180 of the start of his season. Yuto finished the qualifying season with back-to-back first-place qualifier finishes at SLS Los Angeles, ISO (International Skateboarding Open) Henan, and a second-place finish at SLS Sao Paulo. Yuto’s ability to take on massive rails and gaps, combined with his incredible tech wizardry, puts him on the list as one to watch.
3.) Gustavo Ribeiro (POR)
Portuguese powerhouse Gustavo Ribeiro currently sits ranked third in the world and has worked hard for that position. Attending five out of the six qualifiers in 2019, Gustavo stood on two podiums, SLS London and SLS Sao Paulo, and collected as many points as possible in between.
4.) Sora Shirai (JPN)
Battling his way through open qualifiers and into finals, Sora Shirai has come a long way since the start of the 2019 qualifying season. Relatively unknown before the beginning of the qualifying season, Sora is insanely consistent and has a deadly strategy of knowing when to start dropping hammers. Sora attended all six qualifier events in 2019 and made his Dew Tour debut at Long Beach, CA, where he took second place.
5.) Kelvin Hoefler (BRA)
Kelvin Hoefler has been ripping the contest scene for years now and knows what’s required to take home a trophy. The Brazilian’s competitive nature had him first competing at the ripe age of nine and he hasn’t stopped since.
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