X Games athletes to watch
August 1, 2019 at 2:18AM
Skateboarding/men's street and park
Jagger Eaton, Mesa, Ariz.
Eaton made his X Games debut in 2012 when he was only 11 years old, making him the youngest competitor in X Games history. He has a pair of silver medals in X Games Street competition and is set to perform in the Street and Park events this weekend.
BMX/men's park, dirt, best trick
Kyle Baldock, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
Baldock owns quite the collection of X Games prizes: his 10 medals include multiple golds in BMX Dirt (three) and Park Best Trick (two). Another gold in Dirt would give him the most in X Games history in that event.
BMX/big air, vert
Mykel Larrin, Racine, Wis.
A popular and versatile athlete, Larrin owns a pair of X Games bronze medals in Big Air but has competed in multiple disciplines. He's a veteran of the sport at age 31 and has finished in the top six at X Games 11 times.
Skateboarding/women's street
Leticia Bufoni, Sao Paulo, Brazil
No woman has more X Games skateboard medals than Bufoni, whose 11 medals include five golds. She's a social-media sensation with 2.4 million Instagram followers and currently stands third in the Olympic qualifying rankings for Women's Street.
Skateboarding/women's park
Misugu Okamoto, Ama-Shi, Japan
A week before her 13th birthday, Okamoto was a runaway winner in the Women's Park event at the Dew Tour in June, the first qualifying event for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She's the current leader among a standout group of young Japanese women pushing skateboarding to new levels in a country that loves the sport.
Moto X/best whip, step up, quarterpipe high air
Jarryd McNeil, Yarrawonga, Australia
McNeil is one of the most frequent visitors ever to the X Games podium, with seven gold medals and 12 overall.
RACHEL BLOUNT
about the writer
The Gophers estimate 12,000-15,000 of their fans will be there Saturday when they play UCLA in Minnesota’s first game in Pasadena since the 1961 and 1962 Rose Bowls.
