Japan's young phenom capped off an impressive rookie season with his first-ever SLS victory at Stop 06 of the Championship Tour this weekend. After battling through the Wildcard Jam just to reach the main event, Ginwoo delivered a simply dominant performance.
The field saw a last-minute adjustment when Felipe Mota substituted for injured Chris Joslin, but the weekend belonged entirely to Ginwoo Onodera.
A Historic Performance
He essentially clinched victory after just his first three tricks, with each successive trick scoring higher than the last. The numbers were staggering: Onodera ended up dropping a 9.1 as his 4th lowest score, contributing to what may be the first-ever combined score of 28 points across three tricks in SLS history.
"Is this the beginning of a new era?" Sean Malto asked, drawing inevitable comparisons to Nyjah Huston's dominance. Andrew Cannon went further, speculating on a fairy-tale scenario: "Can you imagine? He comes in Wildcard Jam, he gets on the podium here and then he gets down there boom... Super Crown champ."
Milou is on a good run
With this weekend's third place, Vincent Milou gets back to back podiums after his victory in Roland-Garros a couple weeks ago. Let's hope he can keep this momentum going untill the Super Crown to make 2025 his best year yet in SLS.
Last Call for Super Crown
With December's Super Crown looming as the season's final showdown, Vegas represented the last chance for skaters to qualify. Some like Ginwoo took advantage of the opportunity, while others missed their chance to take place in the season ending event.
One charming detail emerged from the weekend: Canadian competitor Shay Sandiford served as Onodera's translator, his fluency in Japanese proving invaluable in helping the young phenom navigate media obligations.
This Spot Takeover in Las Vegas didn't just crown a first-time winner, it may have introduced skateboarding's next superstar.
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