Milton Martinez triumphant in Skateboard Street: 2011 KIA X Games Asia
The 2011 KIA X Games (KXG) Asia Skateboard Street Final wrapped up on Saturday, April 30, at the Jiangwan Stadium in Shanghai, China. When the dust from the heats and final settled, it was Argentina’s Milton Martinez who stood victorious with a wide grin
on his face. Czech Republic’s Tomas Vintr settled for the runner-up place while Brazilian’s Tulio de Oliveira managed to secure the last remaining spot on the podium.
The biggest platform of action sports in Asia, the Asian X Games has a reputation of delivering adrenaline-pumping sporting action. The Skateboard Street category truly lived up to the hype of the mega-event and turned out to be as exciting as ever. With
lots of twists and turns, the event kept the enthusiastic Chinese spectators on the edge of their seats. It was difficult to guess which rider would emerge triumphant as the contest went on to become a fight to the end.
The Skateboard Street field consisted of some reputable names, such as last year’s gold medallist Mohammad Feroze Bin Abdul Rahman, Austin Seahol, Tyler Hendley, Vintr and Martinez among other talented riders.
The heats turned out to full of twists as some of the strongest contenders for the gold were eliminated from the title race. The list of riders who failed to make a strong impact at the Jiangwan Stadium’s street course included Feroze and Hendley. Vintr,
Seaholm and Tetsuharu Sai remained extremely impressive during the heats.
Five riders made their way to face off in the final battle. The line up included Sai, Vintr, Martinez, de Oliveira and Seaholm.
Facing an intimidating competition, Martinez chose the perfect moment to find his top form. Showcasing his skills and talent in successive moves, combined with consistency and speed, he brought the crowd to their feet. The highlight of his run was the freestyle
Nose Blunt Transfer. Even though there were hiccups in his run, they were too minor to really have any significant impact on his overall score. With a wide smile on his face, the Argentinean rode to victory. He gave the credit of his overwhelming performance
and successful result to his family.
“I feel great about the win!” Martinez told the reporters. “I was really psyched-up by having my family here, my mom, my dad, and two brothers.”
After remaining extremely impressive in the heats, Vintr continued to display his form in the final. However, he ended up just short and had to settle for silver. He was glad of the result, considering he had hurt his ankle right before the contest, but
managed to recover with help from a physician, Rob.
Both Martinez and Vintr complimented the skate park and called it the best in Asia. Vintr exclaimed, “There are no transitions, and it really feels like how I train in the street.”
The Skateboarding Street turned out to be a real intense showdown and epitomised the thrill and unpredictability that one expects to find in KXG.
Tags: