Tom Schaar wins X Games in Asia with a 1080
April 30, 2012
American Tom Schaar Lands First 1080 in Competition While at KIA X Games Asia
Takeshi Yasutoko Earns Four-peat in Aggressive In-Line Vert
Consistently one of the most exciting and popular events at KIA X Games Asia, the Skateboard mini-Mega Ramp competition didn’t disappoint. In a field so deep even two-time defending gold medalist Pierre-Luc Gagnon did not qualify for the final, it was 12-year old Tom Schaar who proved himself king of the mini-Mega Ramp.
After landing the first 1080 on a MegaRamp in practice only weeks before heading to China, all eyes were on Schaar throughout the competition. On his second to last run, Schaar exceeded everyone’s expectations and left the rest of the competition to battle for silver after the backside 1080 scored him a 94.00, making him the youngest X Games Asia champion in history.
“I tried the 1080 one time before the contest and then three or four times during the contest and was stoked to get it,” an exhilarated Schaar said. “I’m just excited to be here and be skating with all of these pros that I’ve looked up to. It’s the best feeling!”
Skateboard MegaRamp pioneer Bob Burnquist added, “He’s very advanced for his age. In his head he’s very cool and that usually comes with time, but he’s had that right away. He’s going to go a long way and we’re going to have to deal with Tom for a long while.”
Bob Burnquist’s best run earned him a silver medal with a score of 84.00 and fellow Brazilian Ronaldo Gomes rounded out the podium with a score of 83.00
Aggressive In-line Vert Finals
Continuing his dominance of the Aggressive In-Line Vert competition, Takeshi Yasutoko led the Japanese podium sweep to win his fourth consecutive KIA X Games Asia gold medal. After securing two solid runs, giving himself a comfortable lead over the other riders, Takeshi and brother Eito dropped in together to give fans a taste of their Vert Doubles riding skills.
“I’m so glad to be here again and to be wining!” said Takeshi. “With my brother here this time and all the other good skaters who skate doubles it made it harder to win.“This is the most important event.”
Brother Eito added, “We performed a great show. My brother and I are a team and today we showed the people everything we can do, even doubles so it was good. I am so happy and the contest was very exciting.”
In a competitive final, Takeshi battled with his brother for the top spot throughout the competition, finishing on top with a score of 91.00. Eito settled for silver with an 87.00, while last year’s bronze medalist Yusuke Aihara defended his bronze with a score of 81.00.
BMX Street Finals
In his first KIA X Games Asia appearance, Chad Kerley took home a surprise gold in the BMX Street Finals. Qualifying second, Kerley stepped it up in the final, leading throughout the entire jam. His creativity and style coupled with various manual tricks and the best combos of the competition led him to gold with a score of 86.00.
“I had a good song playing, so I just went for it. My adrenaline was going and I’m with my friends, so I wasn’t too stressed,” said Kerley about his performance. “Just knowing that I’m in China I feel grateful, so I wanted to make the best of it and I had a lot of fun.”
Last year’s gold medalist Jeremiah Smith finished with a silver medal with a score of 76.00 and German rider Bruno Hoffman took home his first KIA X Games Asia medal with a 73.00.
Catch the Skateboard Street, BMX mini-Mega and Skateboard Vert competition at KIA X Games Asia LIVE and exclusive on ESPN3 from 1:00 a.m. ET to 3:00 a.m. ET on May 1.