Juni Kang steals the show on SLS's gnarliest Spot Takeover course ever by far
April 5th 2026
When SLS tries to innovate and do things differently, expectations run high, but this week's Spot Takeover DTLA blew past all of them. Organizers unveiled a monstrous 20-stair handrail that immediately became the defining feature of the entire event the moment footage of the course hit social media and the hype was justified.
They also brought in skater & rapper BbyYOshando as guest commentator, which made the broadcast feel like a proper celebration of the culture.
Big absents and big comebacks
Ginwoo Onodera, still nursing injuries from the World Skate Tour event in São Paulo, was a notable absence, as was Chris Joslin, one of the best jumpers in the game. Stepping in to fill those spots were Antwuan Dixon — whose return to competitive skating is a comeback story the scene has been waiting on — and Gustavo Ribeiro, eager to try his technical tricks on the massive setup.
In a move that got the crowd buzzing, Jagger Eaton, fresh off surgery and initially out of the event, reversed his withdrawal after seeing the course in person. Can't blame him.
Wildcard Jam: a new generation announces itself
The Wildcard Jam was stacked with some youngsters of PSL talent — Kristion Jordan, Roman Hager, and Evon Martinez while Wyatt Hammond, just 12 years old, became the youngest male skater ever to compete in an SLS event. Let that sink in.
Unfortunately, Laser Crawford and Julian Lewis couldn't make it, with Greyson Fletcher and Steven Vasquez filling in.
Meanwhile, Toa Sasaki, fresh off winning the WST final in São Paulo, looked every bit the champion he's become. Juni Kang, the Tampa AM 2024 winner, was the other standout, completely dominating the Wildcard Jam and making it look easy. Roman Hager and Evon Martinez simply couldn't keep pace with these two in the wildcard jam final.
watch the wildcard jam video breakdown here
Final: drama, broken boards, and a last-second upset
The main final came with its own chaos. Julian Agliardi took a brutal slam before the session even started and was ruled out. A stiff wind also made jump tricks a gamble all afternoon, giving a hard time to jumpers like Dashawn Jordan and Aurélien Giraud. The judges were also clearly favouring the big set, making life difficult for Gustavo Ribeiro whose style fit the course less neatly.
Toa Sasaki snapped boards on his first and second tricks with backside 360s over the massive set but manage to roll away clean from the second one for good points. Alex Midler also broke a board with the same tricks, making it three consecutive broken boards on back 3s that had everyone shaking their heads.
In the end came the finish nobody saw coming: Juni Kang, riding the momentum of his Wildcard Jam dominance, dropped an absolute banger on his last attempt, snatching the win from Jagger Eaton right at the buzzer.
watch the final video breakdown here
From Tampa AM to SLS champion — Juni Kang is another one of this new generation of skaters taking the competitive scene by storm lately.
Featured Athletes
Related Events
Share
This article was created by skaters, for skaters, with the help of our friend Claude at redaction. Want to write, report or collaborate with skate.tv? Hit us up!
