Cordano Russell steals it on the last trick as Rio delivers a Spot Takeover for the ages

The SLS Spot Takeover landed at the Maracanãzinho for its Rio debut — the city's first appearance on the SLS calendar since hosting the Super Crown back in 2022. The energy was there from the jump, the crowd was loud, and the Brazilian skating community showed up in full force.

A few technical hiccups along the way were unusual for an SLS production, and more than a few riders voiced frustration with a runway that felt a size too small for what they were being asked to do. But none of that derailed what ended up being a genuinely memorable day of skating.

Wildcard Jam: the session before the session

Before the main event, the Wildcard Jam had to sort out the last two spots in the final — and it delivered a show of its own. The multi-heat format was a first for the SLS and both heats leaned heavily on local and regional talent. Abner Pietro and Matheus Mendes came through the first heat to claim their spots in the final and the second heat was just as wild — broken board, a couple of hard slams, and two back-to-back 360 Flips that had the crowd buzzing, while Wallace Gabriel and Mauro Iglesias were throwing it down hard.

Then came the Wildcard Final, and things got unreal fast. The first seven tricks across the whole session were all landed — a 7 for 7 run to open that set the tone for everything that followed. The constant fire of tricks from all 4 skaters in the final was so intense that everyone felt dizzy, even the judges and broadcast team, having some confusion when announcing Abner Pietro and Wallace Gabriel has moving on to the event final.

Final: slow start, insane finish

The main final started oddly flat. The tricks weren't clicking at the pace anyone expected, and Ginwoo Onodera — usually one of the most reliable names in any field — was clearly off his game, finishing sixth with 18.2 points. Something wasn't right, though he still managed to land a 9.1 on his final attempt with nothing left to skate for, just to remind everyone who he is.

Cordano Russell was the exception to the slow start. He came in hard and didn't let up, building pressure throughout the session. Then Giovanni Vianna did what Vianna does — flipped the whole script in three tricks, including back-to-back 9 Clubs at 9.1 and 9.2, and grabbed the lead with one round left. The Maracanãzinho erupted.

Russell's response: a 9.3 on his final trick. Lead back. Vianna missed his last attempt. Game over.

Russell took the win at 27.5, his second SLS Spot Takeover title. Vianna settled for silver at 26.9 in front of his home crowd.

Wallace Gabriel — who had no business being in that final a few hours earlier — finished third at 24.5 after coming through the Wildcard Jam. And Abner Pietro, Tampa Am 2025 winner and SLS first-timer, went home fifth. Not a bad debut.