Yuto Horigome isn't the only Japanese teenager gunning for gold at the upcoming Tokyo Olympic Games, as 17-year-old Aori Nishimura stunned the likes of Leticia Bufoni and Lacey Baker to claim the SLS Super Crown World Championship in Rio today.
The rookie SLS competitor needed an 8.5 on her final trick to leapfrog Leticia into top place, and managed exactly that – an 8.5 – with a perfectly executed boardslide on the high out-rail. Bufoni, who appeared to be celebrating before Aori's run, threw her board in frustration as the teenager pipped her on the bell.
Lacey Baker rounded out the podium as Mariah Duran, one of the favourites heading into the finals, narrowly missed out on top 3. But it was the 12-year-old Brazilian prodigy Virginia Fortes Aguas who proved to be perhaps the biggest surprise, springing from relative obscurity to claim fifth place in front of a vocal hometown crowd. As her range of tricks continues to progress in the coming years, there's no doubt that Virginia will one day find herself among the best of the best.
You can relive all the finals action in the video above.
1st: Aori Nishimura (JPN) – 32.6
2nd: Leticia Bufoni (BRA) – 32.5
3rd: Lacey Baker (USA) – 28.5
4th: Mariah Duran (USA) – 26.9
5th: Virginia Fortes Aguas (BRA) – 23.4
6th: Pamela Rosa (BRA) – 23.3
7th: Karen Feitosa de Barros (BRA) – 15.1
8th: Alexis Sablone (USA) – 7.3
Ads Served by the Boardworld Ad Network
It looks like you might be visiting BOARDWORLD from outside of Australia. Please note: we are an Australian store, and all orders will be charged in Australian Dollars (AUD). However, you can change the displayed prices to another international currency more relevant to you. Any displayed prices other than AUD are estimates only, based on current exchange rates. You will be charged in Australian Dollars at checkout.
