Crazy tricks and genius skateboarding between the raindrops

The crowd here in Montpellier might very well have superpowers, for we expected some rain for the Pro Men semi-finals in Skateboard Street today, and all we got was a couple of drops and a very warm atmosphere to welcome the 24 riders who qualified yesterday. Needless to say, they didn’t need much more to throw some of the biggest tricks and cleanest lines we’ve seen on the park so far!

With only eight spots available to compete in the finals tomorrow, and the Paris 2024 Olympics taking place in just 434 days, there was definitely some added pressure to perform and collect enough points and represent skateboarding on the biggest stage. Competitors came from all over Europe, but also the world for a chance to advance, with riders traveling from Argentina, South Africa, Brazil or the United States. Nine Frenchies also joined the show, and everyone did their very best to impress the judges, and the lovely crowd of course!

On the podium today, two usual suspects here in Montpellier, as Ivan Monteiro laced a beautiful run and touched every obstacle on the course with one of the cleanest styles around and a perfect nollie heel 270. He takes third place, while Slovakian technician Richard Tury, winner of the 2018 FISE World Series, landed his whole arsenal of tricks as well as a massive transfer nose blunt to spice things up, taking second place. But while Joseph Garbaccio (6th place) initially qualified first, in these semi-finals the real surprise came from another French rider: Max Berguin took the skatepark by storm, and earns himself the top score today with 47.82 points! Will he be able to do it all over again tomorrow?

What a day, what a vibe, and what a show! With such outstanding performances on the skatepark, and such an incredible amount of talent ready to shine in the finals, the crowd was definitely loving it! Better get ready for more action, they’re just getting started so make sure to check in tomorrow and watch the finals live!