Men’s street skateboarding stars to watch at Paris 2024 Olympics

One of the prevailing themes since skateboarding’s defining debut at Tokyo 2020 has been the surge in progression.

The difficulty demanded – and the consistency to deliver it – has seen a remarkable turnover of talent from one Games to the next as new faces arrive and older ones are turfed out.

Of the four events, men’s street has retained most of its establishment figures with the likes of Yuto Horigome and Nyjah Huston doing enough to secure their quotas and compete in France. But even they haven’t had it easy, nor will they in Paris.

The battle to get here was in itself fierce. With just three athletes from the same National Olympic Committee (NOC) permitted to compete, the journey to the Games saw several twists, turns and upsets.

Horigome, one of street skating’s brightest beacons and likely a favourite to make the podium again, nearly didn’t make it. A record-breaking performance at the final Olympic Qualifier where only a first-place finish would do was what he needed to make it to Paris. And while he delivered it, how the Olympic champion ended up with his back against the wall in the first instance speaks of a wider story of the depth of Team Japan.

Joining Horigome in Paris will be fellow Olympian Shirai Sora – now a world champion – and a 14-year-old young gun in Onodera Ginwoo, who will surely capture hearts as he goes toe-to-toe with those twice his age.

The Japanese trio enter Paris as the top three ranked street skaters with Onodera in first. They should be watched closely; a Japan sweep is a real possibility.

Among those with the credentials and expectations to stop such a thing from happening will be the skaters from Team USA including Huston, bronze medallist Jagger Eaton and Chris Joslin.

With Eaton the only US street skater to have medalled in Tokyo, he and his compatriots will be looking to redress that in Paris. Not least the Arizonan whose quest to qualify in both park and street came up agonisingly short at the final Olympic Qualifier in Budapest.

While skateboarding might not be a novelty anymore in the Olympic arena, competing in front of an Olympic crowd will be and all 22 of the men’s street field will have to adjust as the home fans use their voice to back their man: Aurélien Giraud.

When he has competed in contests on the road to Paris 2024 Giraud has shown flashes of brilliance. In early 2023, he was crowned a world champion becoming France’s first-ever in the street discipline. He knows there will be expectations but he isn’t too fazed: going big when it counts is a cornerstone of his reputation – and what better place to do it than in his country’s capital with the world watching.

Others to look out for include Portugal’s Gustavo Ribeiro, Brazil’s Giovanni Vianna and Canada’s Cordano Russell, whose sizeable frame and stature are guaranteed to steal notice when the contest begins.