KITAKYUSHU, Japan – Former world champion Sora Shirai and Paris Olympic gold medalist Coco Yoshizawa said Tuesday they will try to take a step toward the 2028 Los Angeles Games when the World Skateboarding Tour comes to Kitakyushu in November.
The pair will be among the home-grown stars competing in the southwestern Japan city at the Nov. 23-30 WST Street World Cup, the third and final round of the 2025 tour following events in Rome in June and Washington in September.
Shirai, who led a Japanese sweep of the men’s podium in Rome, is aiming to extend his stellar record on home turf following his 2023 world championship victory in Tokyo.
“I’m happy a world tournament is being held in Japan,” he said. “I’ll be doing my best to win it.”
The fourth-place finisher in the Paris Olympic men’s street competition, won by compatriot Yuto Horigome, is also determined to earn valuable qualification points toward his third Olympics in 2028.
“The battle is already on,” Shirai said. “The competition to qualify (for the Japanese team) is fierce, but winning the Olympics is my main goal, so I have to do my best.”
Yoshizawa, the women’s street champion in her Olympic debut last year, also expressed enthusiasm about competing in Kitakyushu.
“I’m excited that the competition is being held in Japan,” she said. “I want to be in my best condition.”
AloJapan.com