Nyjah Huston Edges Out Luan Oliveira to Win Skateboarding World Championships

The Top 12 skaters in order of their scores in the qualifiers were Luan Oliveira (Brazil), Nyjah Huston (USA), Yoshi Tanenbaum (USA), Chase Webb (USA), JS Lapierre (Montreal, Canada), Vincent Milou (France), Jost Arens (Germany), Tommy Fynn (Australia), Dlamini Dlamini (South Africa), Tyson Bowerbank (USA), Gustavo Servin (Mexico), TJ Rogers (Ontario, Canada).

The final heat put Luan Oliveira head-to-head with Nyjah Huston. The excitement in the air was palpable as the two faced off. The Kimberley, South Africa crowd was on its feet cheering throughout the intense five-minute battle.

“Congratulations to Nyjah – that was really hard.  I thought I was going to pass out.  I literally could not breathe,” said a still-winded Oliveira who collapsed on the course after the finals.

When the scores were tallied, just two points separated the final two (97.08 to 95.07). Huston edged out Oliveira by landing difficult rail tricks with few falls. While Luan had the best performance over the semi-finals and finals, he had several falls in the finals that made the difference.

“I am so pumped.  It was great being back in South Africa,” said Huston.  “I was bummed when I did not make the semi-finals last year, but this was one of the toughest heats I have ever skated.  Luan is a great competitor and it was exhausting.  I’ll definitely be back next year as I love it here.  It was a great contest.”

This year the World Skateboarding Federation, which sanctioned the Skateboarding World Championships, provided financial assistance to over 50 skaters to help them pay for travel expenses to South Africa.  WSF is committed to supporting skateboarders around the world and is leading the charge to organize skateboarding in advance of its potential inclusion in the next Olympic Games.

“The 2015 World Skateboarding Championships were a huge success,” said Tim McFerran, CEO of World Skateboarding Grand Prix. “We were excited to see eight countries represented in the top 12 this year, proving how many talented skaters there are all over the world. Each year we hold this contest to give skaters from any country an opportunity to compete on a professional level on a world class skatepark. This contest gives skaters the global exposure they need to attract fans and sponsors. With skateboarding being proposed for the 2020 Olympic Games, it’s more important than ever to support these international skaters, who don’t have the strong support we see in the US. We look forward to returning next year and seeing some new faces and countries as we continue to grow skateboarding and support skateboarders around the world.”

The final day of the World Skateboarding Championships kicked off with the South African Am Skateboarding World Championships and Top Grom Championships. The day then moved onto the South African Championships. Twenty six skaters competed in the finals by earning a top place in one of World Skateboarding Grand Prix’s nine qualifying events held throughout South Africa. The competitiors represented the best up and coming skaters in the nation, all between the ages of seven and 13 years old.

Seventeen-year old Brandon Valjalo from Kyalami, Johannesburg lifted the trophy as South African champion in the South African Street Championships. Valjalo went head to head with Cape Town’s Alan Marola in the finals. Walking off with a check for R 20,000, Valjalo said his victory was the highlight of a great week of skating.  “I really enjoyed skating with all the pro skaters during the week.  It was amazing to hang out with guys, who have been my idols, like Nyjah Huston.”  Commenting on the potential inclusion of skateboarding in the 2020 Olympic Games, Valjalo admitted that it is a really exciting prospect.  “It would be absolutely incredible to represent South Africa on an international level and to be skating with all my friends from all over the world.”

South African Street Championship results:

1. Brandon Valjalo
2. Alan Marola
3. Allan Adams
4. Kanya Spani
5. Josh Chrisholm
6. Yahn Horowitz
7. Byron Rhoda
8. Enwin Gallant

With the recent news that skateboarding is among the top contenders to be considered for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, this year’s world championships took on a special significance and many of the competitors were asked their thoughts on skateboarding in the Olympic Games.

The webcast of the 2015 Skateboarding World Championships at Kimberley Diamond Cup are available on demand at www.KimberleyDiamondCup.com

Highlights from the 2015 Street Skateboarding World Championship Finals:

Nyjah Huston: Switch frontside feeble grind down the handrail. Backside flip the long way over the gap on the stairs. Nollie backside 180 to forward on the A-frame rail.

Luan Oliveira:  Kickflip over the entire manny pad.

JS Lapierre:  270 lipslide to 270 out on the A-frame rail.

Yoshi Tanenbaum: Laserflip down the big four.

Pro Street Finals Results & Cash Prizes

1. Nyjah Huston (California – USA)           $100,000
2. Luan Oliveira (Brazil)                                 $35,000
3. JS Lapierre (Montreal, Canada)              $12,000
4. Yoshi Tanenbaum (Maryland – USA)    $12,000
5. Tommy Fynn (Australia)                             $4,000
6. Vincent Milou (France)                               $4,000
7. Chase Webb (California – USA)              $4,000
8. Jost Arens (Germany)                                $4,000
9. TJ Rogers (Ontario, Canada)                   $2,000
10. Dlamini Dlamini (South Africa)                 $2,000
11. Gustavo Servin (Mexico)                           $2,000
12. Tyson Bowerbank (USA)                           $2,000

Click here for the full results including scores from the entire 2015 Skateboarding World Championships at the Kimberley Diamond Cup.

For the full 2015 Kimberley Diamond Cup Schedule of Events and Results, visit www.KimberleyDiamondCup.com. Follow KDC on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.