Skateboarding at 2024 Paris Olympics: How it works, Team USA stars, what else to know

                                

Skateboarding Olympics

When did skateboarding become an Olympic sport?

Skateboarding made its Olympic debut at the Tokyo Games in 2021. Hardcore skaters groused that the sport was going mainstream, and the IOC fretted over liability from injuries. But in the end, skateboarding proved to be a gnarly success.

How does Olympic skateboarding work?

There are two competitions – street and park.

In street, the skateboarders perform tricks on a street-like course that includes stairs and handrails. They get two, 45-second runs and perform five tricks. The final score is the combined points from the best run and best two tricks.

In park, the skateboarders perform high-flying tricks in a hollowed-out concrete bowl that features ramps and quarter pipes. The skaters get three 45-second runs and the top eight advance to the final round  The competition will include 88 skateboarders, 44 men and 44 women 

Who are the top Team USA athletes in skateboarding?

Jagger Eaton, who won bronze in men’s street at the Tokyo Games and was one of only two Americans to medal during skateboarding's Olympic debut, will compete in street. Nyjah Huston, who is regarded as one of the best street skaters of all time but finished a disappointing seventh in men’s street at Tokyo Games, is seeking redemption. Bryce Wettsein finished sixth in park at the Tokyo Games.

What’s the international landscape in skateboarding?

Americans invented the sport, but it was hard to tell at the Tokyo Games. The Japanese dominated, winning three of the four available gold medals along with a bronze and silver. The Japanese could dominate again, but keep an eye on 50-year-old Andy Macdonald, a high-flying park skater representing Great Britain.