Sky Brown wins second skateboarding world title at rain-hit event in Brazil

Britain’s Sky Brown celebrated International Women’s Day by becoming a skateboarding world champion for the second time at a rain-curtailed park competition in São Paulo.

The two-time Olympic bronze medallist was leading after two runs in Brazil, the halfway point at which World Skate deemed “adverse weather conditions and recurrent rainfall” to have called time on proceedings.

World Skate had given a 7pm (11pm GMT) deadline for the competition to recommence, stating that “if any weather-related interruption occurs, the activity will not resume”.

Only one competitor, Cocona Hiraki of Japan, managed to start a third run, before more falling rain forced officials to end the competition.

Brown’s score of 88.16pts from her second run was therefore adjudged to be the winning score. The 17-year-old took the gold, with Japan’s Mizuho Hasegawa – second in the vert competition two years ago – adding a park silver to her collection with a score of 84.36, while 2023 park bronze-medallist Minna Stess repeated the feat with 83.90.

Arisa Trew, Australia’s 2024 Olympic gold medallist in the discipline at the age of 14, finished fourth with 80.06.

Brown, who won her first world title in Sharjah three years ago, admitted she was “bummed how we couldn’t fully do a final”, but told World Skate: “The level is crazy – I had to put a lot down to get here.

Sky Brown of Britain (centre) poses after winning gold, with Mizuho Hasegawa of Japan (left) taking silver and Minna Stess of the USA winning bronze. Photograph: Sebastião Moreira/EPA

“To win, to be a world champion on International Women’s Day definitely means a lot, but there are bigger things going on. This feels huge and I am so thankful, but there are bigger things. I just pray for peace.”

In the men’s park competition, Spain’s Egoitz Bijueska retained his title thanks to a run of 95.83, ahead of Brazil’s home hope Kalani Konig (94.80) and the USA’s Tom Schaar (90.51).