The 2017 Street League Skateboarding season kicked off last weekend in Barcelona, Spain with the third annual SLS Nike SB Pro Open and in no real surprise Nyjah Huston edged Shane O’Neill to take the title.
Hitting all obstacles on the course, Nike SB Pro Nyjah Huston was performing as stong as ever, earning a score of 8.7 with a Backside 5.0 Grind along the round flat bar and into the small quarterpipe, a 360 Flip over the wedge gap, a Kickflip Backside Disaster on the quarterpipe, a Nosegrind Revert along the round flat bar and back to a Crooked Grind along the same, a Backside 180 Nosegrind on the volcano ledge, a perfect Backside 360 Kickflip over the wedge gap, and a Switch Nollie Nosegrind down the handrail.
In other news, Yuto Horigome and Dashawn Jordan are now on the 2017 SLS Nike SB World Tour. Congrats to Dashawn, he’s been hard at it for awhile now. For all the details on Barcelona as well as news and dates for the rest of the tour, please follow the jump.
THE 2017 SLS NIKE SB WORLD TOUR TOUCHES DOWN IN BARCELONA
o Nyjah Huston Wins First Place and a Golden Ticket to the Super Crown
o Yuto Horigome and Dashawn Jordan Join the 2017 SLS Nike SB World Tour
o Free Livestream Went Out to Skateboarding Fans Worldwide on ETN
BARCELONA, SPAIN (May 21, 2017) — The 2017 Street League Skateboarding (SLS) Nike SB World Tour kicked off this weekend with the third annual SLS Nike SB Pro Open in Barcelona, Spain. Returning to the custom concrete skate plaza Skate Agora BDN, the world’s top skateboarders came together to compete for skateboarding’s biggest opportunity of joining the Tour for the season. After two action-packed days, Nyjah Huston emerged victorious to take the honor of another SLS win, followed by Shane O’Neill and Yuto Horigome.
As a prelude to the season of arena events following the Tampa Pro North American Qualifier , the SLS Nike SB Pro Open gives the two highest scoring non-SLS Pros a spot on the Tour – this year claimed by Yuto Horigome and Dashawn Jordan – as well as offering existing SLS Pros the chance to earn vital Championship Points that determine Tour ranking. The overall winner not only takes home the prestige of an SLS win, but more importantly a coveted Golden Ticket straight to the 2017 SLS Nike SB Super Crown World Championship in Los Angeles.
The 2017 SLS Nike SB Pro Open kicked off on Saturday with the Qualifier Heats that saw 32 non-SLS hopefuls give their best for the 7 exclusive spots available for Sunday’s big event where they went up against the SLS Pros. With a livestream going out to the wolrd on ETN, highlights of the Semi-Finals of the 2017 SLS Nike SB Pro Open included:
• Qualifying through from Saturday, Jamie Foy quickly gave the fans what they came for with a high speed Ollie Body Varial over the bench on the volcano (7.0), a smooth Halfcab Backside Smith Grind down the handrail (8.0) followed by a Bigspin Frontside Boardslide down the handrail (7.1), and an impressive 5050 Body Varial all the way through the flat bar during his 6.9 run.
• 2014 People’s Champ and Nike SB Pro Luan Oliveira’s solid 7.0 run: a Fakie Flip into the bank to speed into a Switch Frontside Kickflip over the wedge gap, a solid stand-up 5.0 Grind along the quarterpipe, a Nollie Crooked Grind along the small ledge, a Switch Crooked Grind off the bank to angled ledge, a Frontside Flip over the handrail to flat, a Switch 5.0 Grind along the ledge, and finishing with a Kickflip Noseslide up onto the angled ledge.
• Luan also laid down some solid Best Tricks, notably his Switch Frontside Kickflip over the handrail to the flat (7.1) and his Switch 360 Flip down the stairs (7.9).
• Qualifying into the Tour at the Pro Open last year, Tiago Lemos from Brazil made three solid Best Tricks: a strong Crooked Grind up the hubba (7.1), a clean Switch Pop Shuvit right over the hubba to the flat (7.5), and a very impressive Nollie Inward Heelflip to Backslide Lipslide down the handrail (8.8).
• SLS Pro Tom Asta’s perfect Swith Backside Heelflip over the handrail to the flat to score 7.4, followed by SLS veteran and 2013 SLS Super Crown World Champion Chris Cole’s Backside 180 Nosegrind down the flat rail for 6.3, and a textbook Backside Kickflip over the bench atop the vulcano to score 7.8.
• Although not skating at his usual high standard, 2016 Thrasher Skater of the Year Kyle Walker got the crowd making noise with his last Best Trick, stomping a clean Backside 180 Nosegrind 180 out down the hubba to earn 7.2.
• Having qualified into the SLS Tour by winning this year’s Tampa Am, Dashawn Jordan made his presence known with a consitenty solid performance. Starting with a Cab Backside Lipslide (7.0), a 360 Boardflip Lipslide (7.4) and a Bigspin Flip Frontside Boardslide (8.6) all down the handrail, and finishing with a clean and casual Lazer Flip down the stairs (7.2).
• To claim the #Diamond Best Trick Award for the Semi-Finals, Tiaogo Lemos threw down a solid Nollie Inward Heelflip Backside Lipslide down the handrail (8.8).
Shortlisting the competitors down to the Top Eight, the Finals saw each skateboarder compete through the Flow section – in which they each have two runs of 45 seconds to skate the entire course – and the Best Trick section for five attempts at high-scoring hammers. With Shane O’Neill, Tiago Lemos, Dashawn Jordan, Nyjah Huston, Felipe Gustavo, Yuto Horigome, Matt Berger and Kelvin Hoefler taking the course for the Finals, highlights of the 2017 SLS Nike SB Pro Open included:
• Starting the Run Section strong, 18-year-old Japanese newcomer Yuto Horigome pushed into a Backside Nollie 360 Ollie over the wedge gap and straight into a lofty Backside 540 Ollie on the quarterpipe hip, around into a Backside Nollie 180 Switch 5050 Grind on the angled ledge above the bank, a Nollie 180 Switch 5.0 Grind on the volcano ledge followed by a super smooth Frontside Kickflip on the quarterpipe, a quick Nollie Noseslide along the smaller ledge, and finishing with a Nollie Cab Switch Backside Lipslide down the handrail on the buzzer for a well-earned 8.2.
• Not to be outdone with Nollie tricks, Nike SB Pro and 2016 Champ Shane O’Neill followed with a Nollie Frontside Boardslide down the handrail, a Nollie Crooked Grind along the lower ledge, around into a Crooked Grind Nollie Kickflip out on the other side of the ledge, a quick Blunt to Fakie on the quarterpipe to set up for a Switch Backside Tailslide to Fakie on the ledge, a Backside Disaster on the quarterpipe, a Nollie Kickflip Noseslide on the ledge, a Backside Smith Grind up the angled flat bar, and finishing with a Bigspin Frontside Boardslide and a Nose Grind 180 out on the ledge to score 8.3.
• Keeping the Nollie theme going, Brazil’s Felipe Gustavo stiched together a flawless Run with a Nollie Kickflip into the bank to get speed for perfect Frontside Kickflip over the wedge gap, a Nollie Kickflip Crooked Grind on the ledge, a Backside Smith Grind up the angled flat bar, into a Nollie Frontside Noseslide down the handrail, and finishing strong with Kickflip Nosegrind and a 360 Kickflip Nosegrind both on the smaller planter ledge (8.9).
• Hitting all obstacles on the course, Nike SB Pro Nyjah Huston was performing as stong as ever, earning a score of 8.7 with a Backside 5.0 Grind along the round flat bar and into the small quarterpipe, a 360 Flip over the wedge gap, a Kickflip Backside Disaster on the quarterpipe, a Nosegrind Revert along the round flat bar and back to a Crooked Grind along the same, a Backside 180 Nosegrind on the volcano ledge, a perfect Backside 360 Kickflip over the wedge gap, and a Switch Nollie Nosegrind down the handrail.
• Bringing out the hammers for the Best Trick Secion, 2016 SLS Nike SB Pro Open winner Shane O’Neill earned the first 9 Club score of the weekend with Switch Bigflip Frontside Boardslide down the handrail for 9.2. The next 9 Club honor went to Tiago Lemos for his incredible Nollie Inward Heelflip Backside Lipslide down the handrail, earning him 9.4 and the highest score of the weekend.
• 2015 Super Crown World Champion Kelvin Hoefler showed he’s recovered from injury with a Kickflip Frontside Blunslide to Fakie down the handrail (8.0) and a crowd-pleasing Halfcab Noseslide to Backside Tailslide to Fakie down the hubba (8.2).
• Now in his fourth SLS season, Canada’s Matt Berger laid down a perfect Bigspin Frontside Blunslide down the handrail (8.3), but unfortunately couldn’t maintain to find his way onto the podium. Similarly, Dashawn Jordan came up short as he broke his board landing a Bigger Flip Frontside Boardslide down the rail, impressing the crowd more than the judges for a score of 4.7.
• In his first SLS event, Yuto Horigome earned his way onto the podium with a high-speed Nollie Backside 270 off the bank to Noseslide the angled ledge for 8.5.
• Showing why he’s the most winning skateboarder in Street League, Nike SB Pro Nyjah Huston emerged victorious following two 8.8 tricks that we’ve not seen from him at an SLS event before: a Kickflip to Frontside Smith Grind over the wedge gap to the rail (8.8), and a massive Fakie Kickflip over bench on vulcano.
A big congratulations goes out the 2017 SLS Nike SB Pro Open winner Nyjah Huston, and to second and third-place winners Shane O’Neill and Yuto Horigome. The 2017 SLS Nike SB World Tour continues on to Munich, Germany, to start the season of arena events, and back stateside to Chicago before culminating in Los Angeles for the the street skateboarding competition that matters the most: the SLS Nike SB Super Crown World Championship where the top eight elite street skateboarders will compete for the title of Champ.
Final results:
1st Nyjah Huston 35.0
2nd Shane O’ Neill 34.7
3rd Yuto Horigome 31.6
4th Kelvin Hoefler 30.9
5th Tiago Lemos 25.5
6th Dashawn Jordan 18.9
7th Matt Berger 17.8
8th Felipe Gustavo 17.5
Fans around the world can watch the 2017 SLS Nike SB World Tour live on ETN, the only digital OTT network created by skateboarders featuring original skateboarding shows and live events. Within North America, ESPN2 runs exclusive broadcast recaps of each event, including a dedicated show recapping the Women’s Division of the Super Crown World Championship. For those that missed the action, a recap special is aired as part of the World of X Games on ABC the weekend following the event.
2017 SLS NIKE SB WORLD TOUR DATES AND VENUES:
• June 24 SLS Nike SB World Tour: Stop One | Olympic Park | Munich, Germany
• August 13 SLS Nike SB World Tour: Stop Two | UIC Pavilion | Chicago, IL
• September 15 SLS Nike SB Super Crown World Championship | Galen Center at USC | Los Angeles, CA
SLS is proud to continue long-standing partnerships with Nike SB, GoPro and Monster Energy. For more information visit www.streetleague.com. For all media inquiries contact Sarah Bronilla at VOCAL: sarah@VOCALnyc.com.
