Created on 2010-05-29
Mini-MegaRamp explodes onto Shanghai scene
The mini-MegaRampTM made its debut in Asia at the KIA X Games Asia today, drawing the loudest applause in the Skateboard mini-MegaRampTM final as more than 13,000 spectators cheered on for Pierre-Luc Gagnon of Canada, who won the gold medal with a perfect score of 100 points.
The highly anticipated final did not disappoint as the skaters put on a magnificent aerial show, throwing down amazing run after amazing run in the jam format. After a complete rain out of yesterday's competitions, conditions were near perfect today as Gagnon dazzled the crowd and impressed judges his perfect score, executing a switch-frontside-heelflip-180 over the gap into a huge kickflip-bodyvarial-540 on the quarter-pipe to clinch the gold.
That got the crowd going and the rest of the field stepped up a notch but no one came close to hitting another perfect score.
Speaking at the medal presentation, Gagnon said: "I'm pretty happy about winning gold. The mini-MegaRampTM is amazing because it's a little bit smaller than the regular mega ramp and you get to be so much more technical with the flip tricks and other kinds of stuff. When you do a trick and fall, you have a lot more time to get back and do another one."
He was also quick to give the thumbs-up to the new jam format at the KIA X Games Asia, and added: "The jam format is amazing because you get 20 minutes to pull off as many runs as you can and you get to try a whole lot of different tricks instead of sticking to only one. I got my two basic runs done and from there, I stepped it up to two harder ones."
Skateboard Street Final
While many expected American Austen Seaholm to defend his gold medal performance from a year ago in the Skateboard Street final, it was his buddy and fellow American Tyler Hendley who came through when it most mattered and won gold. Seaholm was in peak condition as he breezed through the heats as the top dog, with all signs pointing to him retaining his throne. But Hendley ultimately stuck the best run of the competition with a combination of tricks that set him apart from the field with a score of 87.33.
"Winning gold feels a lot better than second place, that's for sure," said Hendley. "Basically, I was falling all over the place because my friends on the course were just landing everything, one after another, and I just kept falling. So I figured, I'll just try a really hard run and somehow I landed everything."
The KIA X Games Asia will feature another impressive line-up of nearly 200 of the best athletes from more than 30 countries competing in the region's No.1 action sports competition. In addition to the mini-MegaRampTM, this year's event features sport disciplines such as Aggressive Inline (Vert and Street), Skateboard (Vert and Street), BMX Freestyle (Vert and Street) and Moto X Freestyle demonstrations (Big Air). Competitors this year compete in a new ‘jam session' format in the Vert and Street disciplines of Skateboard, BMX Freestyle and Aggressive In-Line Skate where athletes make multiple attempts per event to score points during the elimination rounds and the Final, instead of having consecutive runs.
The KIA X Games Asia 2010 is broadcast live across Asia on ESPN from 1.00 to 3.00pm on 28-30 May. Kindly refer to www.kiaxgamesasia.com for more information.
Created on 2010-05-29
PLG's insane perfect score
Pierre Luc Gagnon was proclaimed king of the Mini-mega ramp contest at the 2010 KIA X Games Asia with a perfect score.
Arguably the best Vert skater in the sport at the moment, started his day in the heats, looking frustrated, after failing to land most of his tricks.
He did however manage to get himself into the Finals along with Adam Jacob Taylor, Rob Lorifice, Pedro Barros and Andy Macdonald.
PLG got into the groove of things when he hit a perfect score of 100 when he nailed a switch-frontside-heel-flip-180 over the gap before switching into a kick-flip body varial five on the quarter-pipe.
That got the crowd going and the rest of the field stepped up a notch but no one came close to hitting another perfect score.
American skaters, Taylor and Lorifice scored 96.00 and 87.00 respectively to take home the silver and bronze medal.
Speaking at the medal presentation, Gagnon said: "I'm pretty happy about winning gold. The Mini-mega ramp is amazing because its a little bit smaller than the regular mega ramp and you get to be so much more technical with the flip tricks and other kinds of stuff. When you do a trick and fall, you have a lot more time to get back and do another one."
PLG was also quick to give the thumbs-up to the new competition format at the Asian X.
He added: "The jam format is amazing because you get 20 minutes to pull off as many runs as you can and you get to try a whole lot of different tricks instead of sticking to only one. I got my two basic runs done and from there, I stepped it up to two harder ones."
Next up for Gagnon is the Skateboard Vert Finals on Sunday.
Skateboard Mini-mega Ramp ContestPierre Luc Gagnon (CAN) - 100.00
Adam Jacob Taylor (USA) - 96.00
Rob Lorifice (USA) - 87.00
Pedro Barros (BRA) - 80.00
Andy Macdonald (USA) - 79.00
Created on 2010-05-29
No masking Hendley's victory
Tyler Hendley put one over his close pal, Austen Seaholm to win the Skateboard Street gold medal at the 2010 KIA X Games Asia held in Shanghai, China.
Defending champion, Seaholm was in peak condition as he breezed through the heats as the top dog, with all signs pointing to him retaining his throne.
Along with the two American skaters, Brazilian boy Rodolfo Ramos and Juergen Horrwath made it into the Finals as well.
Korea youngster Lee Ji Hun kept the Asian flag flying when he qualified for the Finals in what was his Asian X debut.
Seaholm went toe-to-toe with Brazilian skater, Rodolfo Ramos in the first few runs, with the lead changing hands on numerous occasions.
It looked as if the gold medal was a straight fight between Seaholm and Ramos, as the two battled for supremacy, with the lead changing hands on numerous occasions.
Out of the sudden, Hendley went on a faultless run to put out a score of 87.33 to relegate the two frontrunners into second and third.
"It feels a lot better than second place, that's for sure. Basically, I was falling all over the place because my friends on the course were just landing everything, one after another and I just kept falling. So I figured, I'll just try a really hard run and somehow, I landed everything." said Hendley after his win.
As for the beautiful city of Shanghai, the champion had nothing but good words to say.
He added: "I've been here a couple of times. The people are super nice, the skateboarding scene is progressing a lot so I'm really happy to see that everyone is getting better and how things are happening for them. I'll be back next year to defend my title and I'll have a new mask along with it I promise!"
For skateboard enthusiasts, make your way down to the KIC Jiangwan Sports Center to catch the Skateboard Vert Finals on Sunday!
Skateboard StreetTyler Hendley (USA) - 87.33
Rodolfo Ramos (BRA) - 84.67
Austen Seaholm (USA) - 83.67
Juergen Horrwarth (GER) - 81.00
Lee Ji Hun (KOR) - 68.67
Created on 2010-05-27
Tetsuhari leads out in Skateboard Street Qualifier
Japan's Tetsuharu Sai was the best qualifier in the 2010 X Games Asia Skateboard Street qualifier.
He hit a final score of 83.33 to lead five other skaters into the Finals which will be held on Friday 28 May 2010 at 1400HKT.
Brazil's Tulio Oliveira, Chinese Taipei's Lu Hung Chen, Korea's Lee Ji Hun and Malaysia duo, Kieron Brodie and Padin Musa also went through.
This year's qualifier saw 20 skaters from 12 countries taking to the course.
Skateboard Street QualifierTetsuharu Sai (JPN) - 83.33
Tuilio Oliveira (BRA) - 82.33
Padin Musa (MAS) - 79.67
Kieron Brodie (MAS) - 77.67
Lu Hung Chen (TPE) - 77.00
Lee Ji Hun (KOR) - 76.67
Created on 2010-05-30
Explosive final day at KIA X Games Asia
The 12th edition of the KIA X Games Asia left Shanghai fans with plenty of memories of after top international skateboarder Pierre-Luc Gagnon of Canada clinched the first ever double-gold victory when he won the BMX mini-MegaRampTM in front of 24,800 fans on the final day of competition - the best spectator attendance in the event's history.
Skateboard Vert
After winning yesterday's Skateboard mini-MegaRamp competition with a perfect score of 100, Canada 's Gagnon returned to claim top honors again with a score of 85.00 in the Skateboard Vert final with his consistent skating and technical tricks on full display. Gagnon completed his brace of two gold medals in as many days, over a top-class field that included silver-medallist Sandro Dias of Brazil and defending champion Andy MacDonald from the USA , who had to settle for bronze with a final score of 78.00.
Said Gagnon: "I was feeling very sore this morning and wondered if I was able to come out and skate today. But luckily, I was able to turn it on when I needed to and it just feels great to walk away with the gold medal. I was going to throw it (720), but I didn't manage to get much practice on this vert ramp and I was more comfortable doing it on the mini-MegaRampTM yesterday. So luckily the scores kept me in it and I didn't have to do it and I stuck to more technical tricks instead.
"To have won gold, ahead of Andy Macdonald, who has dominated this event for the last few years, is amazing, especially with the brand new vert wall. There weren't many chances for me to skate on a mini-MegaRampTM so I'm going to be back for sure, especially if they have the mini-MegaRampTM contest. This was a great preparation for the Summer X Games, and competing in a pressured environment will help me for the rest of the season."
Created on 2010-05-30
Two in a row for the man they call PLG
Pierre-Luc Gagnon soared above everyone else and grabbed his second gold medal at the 2010 KIA X Games Asia.
Gagnon who went into the Skateboard Vert contest as the hot favourite along with Andy Macdonald and Sandro Dias, and he added another gold medal to his impressive collection, having won the Skateboard mini-MegaRampTM contest a day earlier.
The smooth cruiser glided through the air like a flying fish and nailed a final score of 85.00 to stop Andy Mac from making it four-peat in Shanghai, China.
Macdonald had to settle for third as he could only manage a 78.00 on a windy day out on the vert ramp at the KIC Jiangwan Sports Center.
Brazilian legend, Dias was also up to the task as he rallied the huge crowd behind him and scored a 80.00 to finish in silver-medal position.
The powerful and aggressive style of Marcelo Bastos landed him in fourth spot, but it was his young compatriot, Pedro Barros from Brazil, who thrilled the crowd with his energetic display.
Touted as a future star of the sport, Barros attempted some big tricks but could not put it together to oust the more experienced skaters.
Speaking after collecting his second gold medal of the weekend, PLG exclaimed: "I was feeling very sore this morning when I woke up and I was wondering if I was going to be able to come out and skate, but luckily, I was able to turn it on when I needed to and it just feels great to walk away with the gold medal.
"I couldn't have asked for more. I was hoping that I could pull it off this weekend. I was skating well coming into this event and I got to skate this amazing ramp, when I went up to Beijing two weeks ag0, so I felt confident the whole time and thankfully, it all turned out well."
As for his thoughts on coming back to defend his throne and also the upcoming Summer X, the affable skater was pleased to announce that he will be back.
"I'll definitely be back next year, especially if they have the mini-mega ramp contest. I had a great time doing that. There are not too many chances for me to skate on a mini-mega ramp so I'm going to be back for sure."
"This is great preparation for the Summer X. Skating this vert ramp, which is very similar to the X Games ramp, and having to be in a pressured environment at this event really helps me in the long run for the rest of the season." he concluded.
All in all, another great showcase of the best skateboarding talents from across the world at the KIC Jiangwan Sports Center in Shanghai, China.
The fans will definitely be anticipating the return of PLG when the 2011 X Games Asia kicks off next year.
Skateboard VertPierre-Luc Gagnon (CAN) - 85.00
Sandro Dias (BRA) - 80.00
Andy Macdonald (USA) - 78.00
Marcelo Bastos (BRA) - 73.00
Pedro Barros (BRA) - 72.00
