Asian Games 2023: 15-year-olds Kusaki Hinano, Chen Ye roll to park skateboarding golds

The People’s Republic of China and Japan shared the spoils in the men’s and women’s park skateboarding at the Asian Games 2022 in 2023 in Hangzhou on Monday (25 September).

Japan’s 15-year-old Hinano Kusaki stormed to the women’s gold medal with the Chinese duo of Li Yujuan and Mao Jiasi grabbing silver and bronze, respectively.

In a muggy afternoon at Qiantang Roller Sports Centre, Chen Ye - also 15 - topped the men’s podium for the hosts. Nagahara Yuro and Sasaoka Kensuke of Japan took second and third.

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Still in junior high school, Kusaki’s second run of 87.78 off a 540 was good enough to seal the deal but she unleashed an 88.87 for good measure. The Japanese teen was the only skater in the field to top 80 in all three runs.

Kusaki also won the event at the last Games in Jakarta five years ago, when eventual Olympic champion Yosozumi Sakura struck gold.

“I’m very happy,” Kusaki said. “I went through the whole first run without performing the 540, and then I did the 540 successfully in the second and third runs. I’m very happy with how everything went."

The men’s competition was a little tighter with the top four including the Philippines’ Jericho Jojit Francisco Jr separated by less than a point.

Chen’s second run of 84.41 pushed him into the lead but heaved a huge sigh of relief as Nagahara threw down a 84.00, Sasaoka 83.66 and Francisco Jr an 83.58.

"It's a real honour to win the championship,” said Chen, whose father is a skateboarding coach. “I’d like to say a big thank you to my country and to the people of my country for their support.”