Japan’s Mizuho Hasegawa and Issei Sakurai Triumph at World Skateboarding Tour Rome Park 2026
Record-breaking performances mark spectacular start of the Road to LA28 Olympic campaign
By Suman Munshi
Rome, Italy:
The journey to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games (LA28) began in spectacular fashion as the World Skateboarding Tour (WST) Rome Park 2026 concluded on Sunday at the Spot Skatepark in Ostia, Rome’s seaside district. Japan’s Mizuho Hasegawa and Issei Sakurai emerged as champions after delivering record-breaking performances in the women’s and men’s Park finals.
The prestigious event attracted 169 skateboarders from 47 countries, featuring many of the sport’s biggest stars, including Australian Olympic gold medallists Arisa Trew and Keegan Palmer, Great Britain’s reigning World Champion Sky Brown, and Spain’s current World Champion Egoitz Bijueska.
With free public entry, the venue witnessed packed grandstands throughout the competition, while hundreds of thousands of fans followed the action through the live global broadcast.
Mizuho Hasegawa Sets New Women’s Park Record
The women’s final produced one of the most memorable contests in World Skateboarding Tour history. Britain’s Sky Brown set an exceptionally high benchmark by scoring above 90 points in all three of her regular runs, an unprecedented achievement.
However, 15-year-old Japanese sensation Mizuho Hasegawa produced a stunning “Golden Run” that earned 96.33 points, the highest score ever recorded in Women’s Park competition on the World Skateboarding Tour. The remarkable performance secured her victory, improving upon her success in Rome last year and sending the crowd into celebration.
Japan’s Cocona Hiraki, the 2023 World Champion, delivered three consistent runs but finished third, trailing Sky Brown by four points and Hasegawa by seven points.
Issei Sakurai Dominates Historic Men’s Final
The men’s final was widely regarded as one of the greatest Park skateboarding contests ever witnessed. By the conclusion of the three scheduled runs, each of the top five competitors had already recorded scores exceeding 90 points, a first in World Skateboarding Tour history.
Japan’s Issei Sakurai produced an extraordinary display, registering three consecutive 90-plus scores and delivering one of the most complete performances ever seen in the discipline to claim the title.
American skateboarder Tom Schaar mounted a strong challenge for the championship but suffered a heavy fall during his final attempt while chasing the top score, ultimately finishing second. Spain’s reigning World Champion Egoitz Bijueska secured third place with a flawless performance that surpassed even the standard of his winning run in Rome last year.
Street Competition to Follow
The Park competition marks only the first chapter of the World Skateboarding Tour Rome 2026 double-header. The action will continue next week with the Street event at Colle Oppio, overlooking the iconic Colosseum, where the world’s leading street skateboarders will compete for valuable ranking points on the road to LA28.
The Rome event once again underlined skateboarding’s growing global popularity, showcasing elite talent, record-breaking performances, and an exciting start to the new Olympic qualification cycle.
