Rayssa Leal is the greatest champion of Street League Skateboarding (SLS). At 16 years old, the Maranhão native won, this Sunday (15), her third Super Crown trophy, played at the Ginásio do Ibirapuera, in São Paulo, in a final decided in the last maneuver. With the title, she surpasses compatriot Pâmela Rosa, who holds two trophies (2019 and 2021).
In front of a packed gym that vibrated with each maneuver the Brazilian made since the warm-up, she turned the pressure into encouragement and scored 35.4 points — worth the four best scores achieved between two 45-second laps and five maneuver attempts.
The Japanese Coco Yoshizawa, 15, gold medalist at the Paris 2024 Olympics, and Yumeka Oda, 18, completed the podium, with 35.2 and 33.7 points, respectively.
After a good start in the laps, with two clean lines of 8.2 and 8.5, she had a bad start in the maneuvers, with falls in the first attempts.
In the third and without being able to make any more mistakes, he asked for the public’s support, nailed the maneuver and got a 9.1. Afterwards, he scored an 8.7 and needed another 9 in the last maneuver to take the lead. The audience screamed his name when the screen finally displayed the score: 9.1.
Considered Fadinha’s biggest opponent in the final, Australian Chloe Covell, 14, finished the first part of the laps, with an 8.6. After achieving an 8.1 and an 8.3 in the maneuvers, he could overtake Rayssa if he achieved 8.8 in the last attempt, but he fell and was left off the podium, with a total of 32.9.
“The two falls discouraged me a little, but you encouraged me a lot”, said Rayssa to the audience after confirming the title. “This victory is for you too.”
Later this year, she had already won her second World Skateboarding Championship, this one organized by World Skate, in Rome, and won bronze at the Paris Olympics.
Rayssa made the home advantage count to win her third consecutive SLS championship: in 2022, she lifted the cup in Rio de Janeiro and, last year, she also repeated the feat in the capital of São Paulo.
“When we’re on the track it feels like people are hugging us, thank you to everyone for supporting us,” added the three-time champion.
The only time Brazil hosted the Super Crown and didn’t have Rayssa on the podium was in 2018. At the age of 11, she finished 13th in the qualifiers and did not advance to the final stage of the stage held in Rio. The following year, in São Paulo, the Maranhão native already appeared on the podium and guaranteed a Brazilian double by taking silver.
The Olympic medalist qualified for the 2024 Super Crown final directly, through the rankings, without needing to go through the qualifiers that took place this Saturday (14).
In this season’s stages, she won in San Diego and Tokyo, came second in Paris and finished fourth in Sydney. Of the 18 consecutive finals she competed in on the circuit, she emerged victorious in 11 — that’s the record among women.
