Gavin Bottger: "I don't know how I feel right now"
Gavin Bottger of the USA made his third and final run to secure the men's park world champion title. It was a redemption story for Gavin after a broken wrist during the previous World Championships in Sharjah in February. Gavin hinted at his potential during his second run, where he scored an impressive 83.06, placing him in fourth. Capping off his last run, he landed the 'round-the-world' (body varial to fakie) right as the buzzer sounded. Bottger's third run earned him first place with a score of 94.03.
Even though he stood on the podium with the American national anthem playing and a gold medal hanging around his neck, Bottger couldn't believe what had just happened. He admitted to feeling a sense of shock even after his victory. "I don't even know how to describe what I'm feeling right now," the teenager told Olympics.com. "It hasn't sunk in yet. I'm not sure about my emotions at the moment." Bottger was so focused that he said he "blacked out" before his final run. Reflecting on the injury from february, "It was a lot of resting and just sitting around a lot. But once I was fully healed, I started skateboarding as much as I could, trying to regain my confidence on the board. It actually made me love skateboarding even more. It was the first time I ever broke a bone." The USA Skateboarding team showcased the dominance of American riders on the men's podium with Gavin Bottger in first, Tate Carew in 3rd, and Jagger Eaton landing fourth and Minna Stess at 3rd in the Women's division.
📸 Tate Carew secured the third spot on the podium with a score of 86.37. Carew has been steadily improving in the park ranks and now has his sights on making podium finishes regularly as he continues his journey toward Paris 2024. Tate's run had high-difficulty tricks performed flawlessly and ended with an alley-oop tail grab 540, amassing a score of 91.34. "It's incredible because in the last round of qualifying, I was barely in the top 20. And now, this time, I've been pre-qualified, and I'm competing against some of the best athletes in the world. Being on the podium is an unbelievable feeling, and I'll be working hard to achieve it again during the rest of the qualifying year." - Tate Carew
📸 Seventeen-year-old Minna Stess from Petaluma, California, secured third place, making her the highest-ranked American woman in park skateboarding. Stess, who made the finals at the last World Championships in Sharjah, was at a loss for words when describing what her bronze medal meant. "I honestly don’t even know what to feel. I just feel like I’m in a crazy dream. It’s insane but I’m so stoked," she shared with Olympics.com after the event. “I’ve been working really hard and I honestly didn’t think - not that I wasn’t capable - but I never usually try to think what place I’m going to get. “ I wanted to put in my back blunt and kick flip indy in the same run because in the qualifiers previously I’d been doing an axel stall and then an indy air. I was like, if I put those two in I’m going to be so hyped because that’s my best run I can put down. That’s what I wanted to do and it worked out great!”
Final Scores Men's:
- Gavin Bottger (USA) - 94.03
- Luigi Cini (BRA) - 91.90
- Tate Carew (USA) - 91.34
- Jagger Eaton (USA) - 88.33
- Augusto Akio (BRA) - 84.50
- Pedro Barros (BRA) - 81.07
- Nagahara Yuro (JPN) - 78.68
- Keefer Wilson (AUS) - 64.67
Final Scores Women's:
- Hiraki Cocona (JPN) 94.54
- Kusaki Hinano (JPN) 93.20
- Minna Stess (USA) 90.80
- Raicca Ventura (BRA) 87.59
- Naia Laso (ESP) 86.25
- Lilly Stoephasius (GER) 84.79
- Ruby Lilley (USA) 84.40
- Yosozumi Sakura (JPN) 83.53