SLS returns to the Land Down Under! Monster Energy congratulates team rider Giovanni Vianna on taking second place in Men’s Skateboard Street in the SLS Sydney 2024 skateboarding competition. In the sixth stop of the 2024 SLS Championship Tour presented by Monster Energy as the official energy drink sponsor, the 23-year-old from Santo Andre, Brazil, rose to the podium in a high-intensity final.
The competitive Women’s Skateboard Street final saw 15-year-old Liz Akama from Miyagi, Japan, claim second place in an elite field.
Contested inside Ken Rosewall Arena at Sydney Olympic Park, SLS Sydney marked the third major stadium event on the 2024 SLS Championship Tour. It was the second official SLS competition in Australia after the series made its debut in Sydney in 2023.
Offering a total of $1.8 million in prize money – including $100,000 each for SLS Super Crown Champions – the 2024 SLS Championship Tour boasts the largest equal-gender purse in competitive skateboarding. The 2024 season will conclude with the SLS Super Crown World Championships in Brazil from December 14-15.
Respected as the most progressive street skateboarding competition, SLS was started in 2010 by professional skateboarder Rob Dyrdek with Monster Energy as a foundational partner from day one. Riders compete on authentic street obstacles designed by expert course builders, California Skateparks.
In the Men’s Skateboard Street final in Sydney, Monster Energy’s Giovanni Vianna dropped in as the reigning SLS Super Crown Champion and qualified for the final in second place. On his second run, Vianna put together Half Cab backside 5-0 the kinked Hubba, gap backside overcrook the bump to rail, frontside bluntslide the flat bar, backside bluntslide the kink rail into bank, heelflip frontside boardslide the flat rail, fakie 5-0 grind the rail, switch heelflip up the Euro Gap, and fakie ollie frontside tailslide fakie the kinked Hubba for 8.6 points.
When the final moved into Best Trick, Vianna set the bar high by landing a Half Cab frontside Smith revert the kinked Hubba for 8.7 points. He followed up with a Caballerial frontside noseslide fakie the kinked Hubba to earn a Nine Club score of 9.0 points. Next, Vianna landed a Half Cab backside Smith grind the kinked Hubba with a slight wobble for a score of 7.8 points.
Suddenly ranked in third place after missing his fourth attempt, Vianna needed a big trick on his final attempt of the contest. He found it by landing a mind-boggling Caballerial to backward nosegrind the kinked Hubba for a Nine Club score of 9.6 points and second place with 35.9 points total behind Japan’s Sora Shirai in first place.
The Women’s Skateboard Street final escalated into a down-to-the-wire competition. When all was said and done, Liz Akama claimed second place with her signature combination of technical tricks and effortless style.
In the Run section, Akama put together backside 50-50 the kinked Hubba, frontside tailslide the quarter pipe, frontside bigspin heelflip the bump, Barley grind revert the flat rail, gap frontside feeble the bump to rail, ollie to manual up the Euro Gap, frontside 180 to 50-50 the box, and frontside boardslide the big rail for 7.7 points and a solid foundation for stacking tricks.
Akama maintained her momentum in Best Trick by landing a frontside 180 switch 50-50 the kinked Hubba for 7.5 points. She upped the ante on her third attempt by finessing a frontside 180 fakie nosegrind for 8.6 points and landed a perfectly poised backside Smith grind the rail for 5.3 points on attempt four. Ultimately, Akama lost the handle on a frontside feeble revert the rail on her final attempt and took home second place with an overall score of 29.1 points.
Closely finishing outside the top three in Sydney, 16-year-old Rayssa Leal from Imperatriz, Brazil, found herself in fourth place on last attempts in the final. In her Run section, Leal landed tricks including backside 50-50 the kinked Hubba, backside tailslide shove-it the box, crooked grind the rail, quick-footed ollie up the manual pad to heelflip off, backside Smith grind the kinked flat rail, kickflip backside lipslide the rail, and frontside boardslide fakie the big rail for 7.1 points.
In Best Trick followed up with technical tricks including backside Smith grind the entire kinked rail (8.2 points) and kickflip backside 50-50 the kinked Hubba (8.5 points). But when Leal missed the landing on a frontside bluntslide the Hubba, she had to settle for 23.8 points and fourth place.
Next on the 2024 SLS Championship Tour, make sure to tune in on November 23 for SLS Tokyo inside Ariake Arena in Japan. Stakes are high: the competition will determine the roster of qualified riders for the SLS Super Crown World Championship in São Paulo, Brazil, from December 14-15. Don’t miss it!
For more on Giovanni Vianna, Liz Akama, Rayssa Leal, and the Monster Energy skateboarding team visit www.monsterenergy.com. Follow Monster Energy on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok for exclusive updates as the action sports season continues.
