Rayssa Leal Claims First Place in Women’s Skateboard Street at the 2023 STU Open Rio

Rayssa does it again! Monster Energy congratulates team rider Rayssa Leal on taking first place in Women’s Street Skateboarding at the STU Open 2023 in Rio de Janeiro this weekend. In the annual skateboard competition, the 15-year-old Leal from Imperatriz, Brazil, clinched the victory with a stacked run.

In the Men’s Street Paraskate discipline reserved for adaptive athletes, 24-year-old Felipe Nunes from Curitiba, Brazil took first place with a perfect run. Nunes also took a podium spot by claiming second place in the Men’s Adaptive Skate Park discipline.

In the Men’s Skateboard Street final, 22-year-old Giovanni Vianna from Santo Andre, Brazil took second place. He was joined on the podium by 26-year-old Jhancarlos Gonzalez from Bogota, Columbia placing third.

The heavily contested Men’s Skateboard Park final concluded with 24-year-old Tom Schaar from Malibu, California, in second place.

The Women’s Street Skateboarding contest at Duó Square skatepark featured a roster of international A-list riders, including skaters from Argentina, Brazil, and the United States. Monster Energy’s Leal dropped into the competition as the winner from last year’s edition of STU Open Rio. Could she do it again?

The answer was a resounding ‘yes’! In the final, the defending champ put down frontside bluntslide the big rail, kickflip backside lipslide the flat rail, backside tailslide the big rail, gap out backside lipslide the A-frame rail, and kickflip frontside boardslide the big rail for 85.70 points and the second consecutive win at STU Open Rio.

Hailing from Brazil, Leal represented Brazil in the Tokyo Olympics and claimed the silver medal in the Women’s Skateboard Street event. She is the reigning SLS World Champion after winning the 2022 SLS Super Crown World Championship in Brazil.

When the action moved into the Men’s Street Paraskate discipline reserved for adaptive athletes, all eyes were on 24-year-old Felipe Nunes from Curitiba, Brazil. An internationally known star in the discipline, Nunes already made history as the first adaptive skateboarder to conquer the notorious Loop ramp and appear on the cover of Thrasher Magazine.

In the Paraskate Street final, Nunes proved his exceptional technical skills and board control with tricks like 50-50 grind the big rail, backside 360 the kicker, frontside feeble grind the flat rail, backside noseblunt the quarterpipe, frontside nosegrind the A-frame, backside 360 flip over the kicker, and frontside bluntslide the big rail for 87.71 points and the win. Nunes also took a podium spot by claiming second place in the Men’s Adaptive Skate Park discipline.

The Men’s Skateboard Street final featured a heavy list of riders hailing from places such as Brazil, Colombia, Slovakia, and the United States.

In the Men’s Skateboard Street final, 22-year-old Giovanni Vianna from Santo Andre, Brazil took second place with a stacked run: Tricks including Caballerial backside lipslide the big rail, bluntslide the flat rail, frontside crooked the flat rail, backside overcrook the handrail, gap to frontside lipslide the A-frame, fakie 5-0 grind the Hubba and Caballerial frontside noseslide the big rail earned Vianna 83.92 points.

Vianna was joined on the podium by 26-year-old Jhancarlos Gonzalez from Bogota, Colombia placing third. Gonzalez put down technical tricks such as switch backside lipslide the big rail, backside 270 lipslide the flat rail, gap to frontside Smith grind the rail, frontside 270 lipslide the A-frame rail, and Caballerial frontside boardslide fakie the big rail for 83.74 points.

In the Men’s Skate Street Best Trick event, 17-year-old Filipe Mota from Minas Gerais, Brazil, took the trophy by putting down a technical kickflip hurricane down the big rail. The Women’s Skate Street Best Trick contest saw Rayssa Leal take top honors.

The heavily contested Men’s Skateboard Park final concluded with 24-year-old Tom Schaar from Malibu, California, in second place. Schaar stoked the crowd (and judges) by landing huge backside ollie over the love seat, transfer to frontside Smith grind the deep end, frontside 50-50 corner transfer off the extension, kickflip Indy over the centerpiece, frontside blunt the extension, backside 360 air the centerpiece, gap out to backside tailslide into the deep end, backside 540 the deep end, frontside feeble grind, ollie up backside disaster the extension, kickflip Indy fakie, and Caballerial backside disaster for 89.00 points.

Schaar is known as the world’s first skateboarder to land a 1080-degree aerial. He currently owns 11 X Games medals (one gold, four silver, six bronze).