Monster Energy congratulates its BMX, Moto X, and skateboard athletes on a strong performance at X Games Chiba 2023, with the team claiming a whopping seven medals in the world's premium action sports showcase.
CHIBA, Japan, May 14, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Ending the second edition of X Games Japan on a high note! Monster Energy congratulates its BMX, Moto X, and skateboard athletes on a strong performance at X Games Chiba 2023. On the final day of competitions at ZOZO Marine Stadium, the team claimed a whopping seven medals (two gold, four silver, and one bronze) in the world's premium action sports showcase.
Victories included 31-year-old Australian team rider Jackson Strong claiming gold in Moto X Best Trick, joined on the podium by fellow Australian Harry Bink in the bronze medal position. In the spectacular Skateboard Vert Best Trick, 34-year-old Elliot Sloan from New York City took the gold medal in a walk-off victory, right in front of Japanese team rider Moto Shibata taking silver.
The Skateboard Vert event saw 23-year-old California native Tom Schaar claim silver as his first medal in the discipline and ninth X Games medal overall. In Men's Skateboard Street, 30-year-old Brazilian team rider Kelvin Hoefler claimed silver, while the BMX Park Best Trick event wrapped with 28-year-old Daniel Sandoval from Corona, California, taking silver.
Supported by Monster Energy as the official energy drink partner, X Games Chiba 2023 marked the 67th edition of X Games since the contest's inception in 1995. For three action-packed days, the action sports world was focused on ZOZO Marine Stadium on Tokyo Bay, with a total capacity of 30,000 spectators. More than 110 athletes from 20 countries competed for a total of 33 medals in 11 events across three sports.
During three days of competitions, the Monster Energy team claimed 10 medals at X Games Chiba 2023 (four gold, five silver, and one bronze) from BMX, Moto X, and Skateboard events.
Here's how the action unfolded for team Monster Energy on the final day of X Games Chiba 2023:
BMX Park Best Trick: Monster Energy's Daniel Sandoval Takes Silver
After all-day rain on Saturday canceled the event, BMX Park Best Trick was on and popping on Sunday. Stepping into the session with confidence but still battling an elbow injury, 28-year-old Daniel Sandoval from Corona, California, made his presence felt with no-holds-barred tricks.
Riding high off his BMX Park gold medal, Sandoval landed massive tricks, including a cash roll, and threw down a flair triple whip. Cementing his medal finish, he pulled a huge flair double tailwhip to barspin in his fifth and final run for the hard-earned silver medal.
"For me, it was harder to do the double whip bar than the flair triple whip. But I'll take what I got; I'm stoked!" said Sandoval.
Sandoval now owns six X Games medals (two gold, one silver, and three bronze). He's officially back in medal contention after finishing outside the podium since earning bronze at X Games Minneapolis 2017. Let's go!
Men's Skateboard Street: Monster Energy's Kelvin Hoefler Takes Home Silver Medal
The team's medal run continued in the Men's Skateboard Street contest. In a stacked field featuring multiple X Games gold medalists and Olympic athletes, 30-year-old Kelvin Hoefler from São Paulo, Brazil, dropped in as a top competitor.
Only two weeks prior to the event, Hoefler won SLS Chicago 2023. Now the Olympic silver medalist was ready to unleash his signature technical tricks on the diverse street course at X Games Chiba.
Right away on his first run of the final, Hoefler sealed his podium spot by putting together bluntslide fakie the rail into bank, Half Cab blunt 270 the flat rail, kickflip backside lipslide the flat rail, 360 kickflip the Euro Gap, frontside kickflip the quarterpipe, backside Smith grind the handrail, bigspin frontside boardslide fakie and switch frontside bluntslide the small rail, and Caballerial backside lipslide fakie the big rail for 83.66 points and the silver medal.
On the strength of Sunday's silver medal, Hoefler now owns six X Games medals (two gold, two silver, and two bronze).
Skateboard Vert: Monster Energy's Tom Schaar Earns First Silver in Discipline
Ever since the first X Games in 1995, Skateboard Vert has ranked as a defining spectacle in the contest. This year was no different: The roster of riders at X Games Chiba 2023 featured ten of the most competitive halfpipe skaters in a 30-minute jam session. Winners were crowned based on their highest-scoring single run.
One of the day's main stories included the return to halfpipe competition of 23-year-old Tom Schaar from Malibu, California. Initially known as a top competitor in Mega Ramp and Skateboard Park contests, Schaar came to Chiba with a deep bag of vert tricks.
On Run 3 of the final, Schaar put together alley-oop backside lipslide across the entire ramp, backside 540 melon, backside 540 tailgrab, heelflip Indy, backside tailslide, alley oop tailgrab tail smack, kickflip Indy fakie, fakie 5-0 grind, Cab disaster and kickflip McTwist before the buzzer.
A final score of 86.00 points earned Schaar the silver medal, his first-ever Skate Vert medal at X Games.
Sunday's silver marks Schaar's ninth X Games medal (one gold, four silver, and four bronze) and his first X Games medal since Big Air bronze at Minneapolis 2018. Welcome back! Previous to X Games Chiba 2023, Schaar had won the Concrete Bowl Jam at Tampa Pro 2023 in Florida.
Skateboard Vert Best Trick: Monster Energy's Elliot Sloan Claims Walk-Off Victory, Moto Shibata Earns Silver
For the next medal event, the massive halfpipe inside ZOZO Marine Stadium remained the focus for the Skateboard Vert Best Trick session. The roster of riders included skateboard icon Tony Hawk, proudly rocking the Monster Energy claw on his helmet. Fresh off celebrating his 55th birthday, Hawk threw down high-tech tricks, including Madonna switch crooked grind and Half Cab body varial to backside blunt. Timeless!
In front of a hometown crowd, 27-year-old Japanese team rider Moto Shibata from Osaka stomped what looked like the heaviest trick of the day right on his first run: a perfect kickflip McTwist wowed the judges and held the top spot for the entire session.
End of story? Far from it! After missing attempt after attempt in the session, Elliot Sloan from New York City had one more chance. On the last run of the final, the 34-year-old pulled through on a next-level trick: His fast-spinning Cab heelflip Indy 720 brought the house down and earned Sloan the gold medal.
"The roller coaster of emotions! I was so bummed because I thought that was it. And then I realized I had another run. So, there was a little bit of hope… I can't believe I made that one!" said Sloan upon winning Skateboard Vert Best Trick at X Games Chiba 2023.
Elliot Sloan now owns 16 X Games medals (seven gold, seven silver, and two bronze). In 2022, Sloan hosted the vertical skateboard events at his private compound and claimed the gold medal in Skateboard Vert Best Trick as well as silver in Skateboard Megapark.
Following Sloan's walk-off victory in Chiba, Shibata settled for the silver medal, bringing his count to five X Games medals (one gold and four silver).
Moto X Best Trick: Monster Energy's Jackson Strong Clutches Gold, Harry Bink Takes Bronze
For a worthy finale to an action-packed weekend in Chiba, the Moto X Best Trick final stoked the crowd with some of the most technical freestyle motocross riding on the circuit. This marked the first time that motocross was contested as a full medal event at X Games Chiba after being showcased as a demo event the previous year.
In a line-up including Japanese FMX icon Taka Higashino, one rider stepped into the session with the potential to reach record-setting results: As the most dominant rider in the history of Moto X Best Trick, 31-year-old Jackson Strong from New South Wales, Australia, already owned six medals in the discipline – only one win short of a new record.
With only two attempts to put down the highest-scoring trick, Strong came into the session with a new trick up his sleeve: A perfect untucked no-hander frontflip – spinning forward through the air with hands entirely off the handlebar – earned the Australian 96.33 points on Run two and cemented his win in the highly progressive final.
"Everyone's been riding amazing tonight. I'm glad I was able to get the trick I've been practicing. Thanks to Japan for having us; it's been an amazing time and another X Games in the books," said Strong upon winning Moto X Best Trick at X Games Chiba 2023.
In a rare feat, Strong's seven gold medals in Moto X Best Trick put him in a tie for most gold in a single Moto X discipline with Ronnie Renner and Travis Pastrana. Strong relied on frontflip variations to win all seven gold medals. Strong now owns 14 X Games medals (seven gold, four silver, and three bronze).
Strong was joined on the podium by 29-year-old Harry Bink from Canberra, Australia. In what may have been the most progressive Moto X Best Trick session of all time, Bink came through with a stylish and technical move: A technical double backflip nac one-hander look to the side earned Bink a solid 95.00 points and the bronze medal.
Bink's third-place finish rounded out an all-Australian podium at X Games Chiba 2023, with Strong in first place and Rob Adelberg in second. Interesting fact: The last all-Aussie podium sweep happened at X Games Norway 2019.
Bink now owns two X Games bronze medals, both earned in Moto X Best Trick.
And that's a wrap! Again, congratulations to the Monster Energy team on an incredible bounty of 10 medals at X Games Chiba 2023 (four gold, five silver, and one bronze).
X Games Japan gold medal winners automatically qualify for X Games California in Ventura July 21-23 at the Ventura County Fairgrounds and Event Center.
Thanks to the entire team at ESPN and organizers in Japan for making X Games history with this outstanding showcase for action sports.
Missed the action? No worries! X Games fans in the United States can watch recordings of competition coverage from the second edition of X Games Chiba on the official X Games YouTube channel.
Visit http://www.monsterenergy.com for exclusive updates from X Games Chiba 2023, including photos, videos, and contest results as they happen. Follow Monster Energy on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.
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About Monster Energy
Based in Corona, California, Monster Energy is the leading marketer of energy drinks and alternative beverages. Refusing to acknowledge the traditional, Monster Energy supports the scene and sport. Whether motocross, off-road, NASCAR, MMA, BMX, surf, snowboard, ski, skateboard, or the rock and roll lifestyle, Monster Energy is a brand that believes in authenticity and the core of what its sports, athletes, and musicians represent. More than a drink, it's the way of life lived by athletes, sports, bands, believers, and fans. See more about Monster Energy including all of its drinks at http://www.monsterenergy.com.
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