Monster Energy congratulates team rider Rayssa Leal on taking first place at SLS Jacksonville on Sunday.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., July 17, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The progression of street skateboarding is off the charts! Monster Energy congratulates team rider Rayssa Leal on taking first place at SLS Jacksonville on Sunday. In the first stop of the 2022 SLS Championship Tour, the 14-year-old from Imperatriz, Brazil, took home the win in a down-to-the-wire final inside VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena.
Envisioned by pro skateboarder Rob Dyrdek as an authentic showcase for top street skateboarders, the Street League Skateboarding (SLS) Championship Tour is the world's premier street skateboarding competition series.
From July 16-17, Stop 1 of the 2022 SLS Championship Tour brought the world elite of street skating to VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. On the California Skateparks-designed course, past SLS champions and Olympic gold medalists competed for the tour stop trophy and overall ranking points.
As a new scoring rule for the 2022 season, overall scores will now be computed by always factoring in one score from the Line section. Accordingly, riders can no longer recover from a less-than-perfect run by relying on Best Trick scores alone.
In the Women's Skateboard Street Final on Sunday, all eyes were on Monster Energy's Rayssa Leal. On the strength of a dominant performance, the Olympic silver medalist from Brazil had qualified into the final in first place. On Sunday, the eight riders in the final hailed from Brazil, Japan, as well as the United States and the Netherlands.
In her first run, Leal put down a gap to backside lipslide the big rail, backside Smith grind the rail, kickflip backside lipslide the Euro Gap rail, frontside nosegrind the Hubba and crooked grind the long ledge but stepped off her board on a frontside bluntslide the big rail for an overall score of 7.1 points. She also stepped off her board on Run 2, so the pressure was high as the action moved into Best Trick attempts with Brazil's Pamela Rosa leading on the strength of an 8.0-point Line score.
Starting off her Best Trick section, Leal landed a perfect backside Smith grind the big rail for 5.9 points. The trick boosted Leal into first place position, right as previous leader Rosa received a score of zero for repeating a move in Best Trick that the judges had already seen on the same obstacle in her Line attempts.
After she missed the trick on her next attempt, Leal slipped into fifth place and needed a big move to recover. She did exactly that with a technical kickflip backside Smith grind the long rail for 8.5 points and cruised back into the top spot.
When the final moved into the two final attempts, the battle intensified as Japan's Yumeka Oda landed a kickflip frontside feeble the big rail for 9.4 points to claim the top spot. With all other riders missing their tricks, Leal remained the only rider in the final with a chance to take away the win on her final attempt. Rising to the occasion, Leal locked in a heelflip frontside boardslide down the gap to rail for 7.6 points and the victory with a total score of 23.2 points. This marks the fourth win in an SLS event for the 14-year-old skateboarding phenomenon.
Hailing from Brazil, Leal first caught international attention in 2015 at the age of 6 via a viral video. Today, the young pro already ranges among the sport's elite: In 2019, Leal made history as the youngest competitor to ever win an SLS tour stop at age 11 and took second place at the SLS World Championship in Brazil that year. In 2021, she represented Brazil in the Tokyo Olympics and brought home the silver medal in the Women's Skateboard Street event.
Also, at SLS Jacksonville 2022, newly minted Monster Energy team rider Braden Hoban earned a 9 Club score with a perfect Line score on Saturday, including a frontside bluntslide the Hubba, kickflip up the stair set, kickflip 50-50 the rail, kickflip frontside boardslide fakie, frontside 50-50 up the rail and switch 360 flip the stairs for 9.0 points. But when all was said and done, the SLS rookie could not get the Best Tricks he wanted and missed his spot in the final. Keep an eye on this young ripper. Welcome to the team, Braden!
Next on the 2022 SLS Championship Tour, the contest series continues in Seattle, WA at Angel of the Winds Arena from August 13-14. Stay tuned!
For more on Rayssa Leal and the Monster Energy skateboarding team visit http://www.monsterenergy.com. Follow Monster Energy on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok for exclusive updates as the action sports season continues.
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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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SOURCE Monster Energy
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