Yuto Horigome gives it his all in final skateboard trick; defends men’s street title with support from family and fans

PARIS — Yuto Horigome’s resilience was on display Monday in the men’s street skating event at the Paris Olympics. The 25-year-old Olympic champion made a huge comeback from seventh place to retain his title.

His dramatic victory was greeted with loud cheers from the crowd and received respect from the other athletes who competed against him.

The skateboarders were judged on how well they controlled their boards during two 45-second runs and five tricks. The highest run score and the two highest trick scores were added together to determine the score and ranking for each round.

Horigome gave his all in his final trick, amidst great tension, landing smoothly after performing a move with a high degree of difficulty. Normally so quiet, Horigome screamed after completing the trick.

His score was 97.08, the highest in the competition. Japan’s national team director Takashi Nishikawa kept repeating, “It’s impossible. It’s impossible. It’s impossible.”

Horigome hugged his coach, Daisuke Hayakawa, and raised his left hand high in the air. “I’m glad I believed in myself,” the skateboarder said.

None of the athletes who went after Horigome were able to improve on his score. As the crowd applauded and cheered for the reigning champion, his father Ryota, 49, sat in the audience in tears.

Three years ago, the Tokyo Olympics were held in their hometown of Koto Ward, Tokyo, but there were no spectators due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ryota couldn’t bring himself to watch his son’s performance on TV, so he distracted himself by riding his bike and missed the moment Horigome won the gold.

This time, after watching Horigome struggle in the qualifier, Ryota decided to go to the venue and cheer him on like family. “Yuto seemed to want me to come,” he said. Horigome’s performance is etched in his memory.

It’s been 19 years since Ryota taught his 6-year-old son to skateboard. “There are no words. He has exceeded our expectations so much. When I started, I never thought he would reach this level,” he said.

Fellow competitor Sora Shirai, 22, shook Horigome’s hand and congratulated him. Shirai finished a disappointing fourth, but praised Horigome’s effort.

“As a returning champion, he was under a lot of pressure, but he was able to make that move in that situation. Yuto is impressive,” Shirai said.

Horigome said: “I couldn’t have done it alone. The support of my family, friends and fans was the key to my final trick.”