The vert competition at the World Skate Games had one of the most special settings of the whole event. The ramp was built right along the bay in Asunción, with the Palacio de López, the seat of Paraguay’s government, as its backdrop. Judges and fans got a beautiful view, with every air framed by the palace behind the ramp.

32 skaters registered for vert, 20 men and 12 women, from at least 10 countries around the world. The level in practice was very high from the first day, with big airs, technical grabs and spins showing how strong vert skating is right now.

Then the weather took over. The rain came and never stopped, and the organization had to make some hard calls.

In the women’s division, the world champions were crowned based on the results of the semifinals. Once again, the Japanese skaters were the ones to beat. Sorachi Kawasaki, only 15 years old, took first place and became the new women’s vert world champion. Ayumi Kayaki made it a Japanese one and two, and Ana Júlia Da Silva from Brazil took third place.

The men’s division had a harder ending. The skaters finished all their practice sessions, and the first group of three had already skated their qualifying runs, but the rain never stopped and the men’s competition had to be canceled. With no new results, Japan’s Takeshi Yasutoko keeps his spot as number one in the vert world ranking.

It was not the ending anyone wanted, but the riders showed a lot of patience and respect for each other while they waited for the rain to stop. The setting, the crowd and the level of skating made it clear that vert still has a big place in roller freestyle.

The results were:

Women

Sorachi Kawasaki (Japan) Ayumi Kayaki (Japan) Ana Júlia Da Silva (Brazil)

Men Canceled due to rain

Congratulations to Sorachi and to all the skaters who came to Asunción for the vert competition.