skateboarding – ATX Games

UPDATE: X Games forced to cancel marquee Big Air events for BMX, Skateboard

jwj+2015+X+Games+2500055 — Tom Schaar won the bronze medal in last year’s Skateboarding Big Air competition. This year’s event was canceled Sunday because of extreme wind.

Rain isn’t causing havoc Sunday at Circuit of the Americas.

Rather, it’s the blustery north winds.

After delaying a decision for two hours, X Games officials were forced to cancel Skateboarding Big Air, probably the most popular event in the four-day competition.

Then at 4:30, organizers canceled BMX Big Air.

Skateboarding was scheduled for Friday night, but rains pushed it to Saturday, then to Sunday.

BMX initially was supposed to go Saturday night.

The ramp is nine stories high. And with winds gusting at nearly 30 miles per hour, it was deemed too dangerous for any of the competitors.

Bob Burnquist claims 30th X Games medal

Bob Burnquist won his 30th career X Games medal, claiming silver in Skateboard Vert Best Trick.

It was Burnquist’s third medal of the weekend. He won the gold in Skateboard Big Air and Big Air Doubles, partnering with Morgan Wade.

Elliot Sloan won the gold medal in the event. Earlier he took silver in Big Air Doubles.

Alexis Sablone takes gold in women’s skateboard street

Alexis Sablone won the women’s skateboard street contest, her third career X Games gold medal.

The 27-year-old recorded the two best scores of the competition. She had an 89.66 on her first run, then bettered her gold-medal winning score with a 92 on her third and final run.

Pamela Rosa, a 14-year-old Brazilian, took silver with a score of 86. Vanessa Torres finished third with a 78.

Curren Caples wins X Games gold in Skateboard Park

Curren Caples came into the X Games entered in both skateboard park and street.

He even said his best chances at gold might be on the street course at Circuit of the Americas.

Caples now can readjust his plans. He won the gold medal Saturday afternoon in park, with his score of 86 on the third and final run good enough for first place.

He knocked off Pedro Barras, who had won four of the past five X Games park events. Barras was victorious in Austin last year.

Barras settled for second. His second round score of 84.66 had led the field until Caples final run.

Ronnie Sandoval was third with an 82.

Crowd favorite Ben Raybourn, who grew up outside Houston, finished sixth.

Pierre-Luc Gagnon wins gold in skateboard vert

Pierre-Luc Gagnon took home the gold medal in the skateboard vert, the 20th overall medal of his X Games career.

Gagnon had the best two runs of the competition. He recorded an 88 on his first run and then upped his score to 92.33 on his second of three chances.

Paul-Luc Ronchetti claimed silver with an 86, while Sam Beckett finished third and took home the bronze medal with an 82.33 on his final run.

Multiple riders said they had to make adjustments to the wind and heat in the middle of the day at Circuit of Americas.

In 2014, skateboard vert was held downtown at night, under much cooler and calmer conditions.