Tokyo (AFP)

After the street, the park, another skateboard discipline, made its big debut Wednesday and Thursday at the Tokyo Olympics, where Madeleine Larcheron and Vincent Matheron will defend the French chances.

The park, or bowl, consists of performing aerial figures in an empty basin, with rounded walls and containing elements of relief.

Competitors complete three 45-second "runs" and the score for the best run is kept to establish the classification.

Unlike the street, a fall and it's the end of the current run.

Two Tricolores are entered: the Landaise Madeleine Larcheron (15 years) and the Marseillais Vincent Matheron (23 years).

The first is the youngest of the French delegation to the Games.

The one who passed her college diploma a few weeks ago can count on her mother's presence in Tokyo.

The second returns from a triple ankle fracture and lives in California, the birthplace of surfing and skateboarding.

"Vincent and Madeleine managed to get into the Top 20 to get a quota each, at the end of a long qualification process over 2-3 years, in particular because of a long break linked to the Covid", a recalled the coach of the France team, Florent Balesta, in a press conference.

"I want to show that, even when you come back from injury, anything is possible and try to get to the final, then to make a podium", explained Vincent Matheron, who was injured a year ago on a ramp at Tony Hawk.

The skate legend has indeed hosted the "minot" upon his arrival in the United States and "Birdman" has since taken him under his wing.

Madeleine Larcheron, for her part, does not want to put herself under pressure in Tokyo: "I especially want to have fun and have fun because these are my first Olympic Games, I am young, I am only 15 years old", explained the teenager.

- "Everything is open" -

"We have a competition format that is played just over half a day. Everything is open, we have a lot of ambition," Balesta insisted, recalling that there had been surprises in the street.

Vincent Matheron at the skatepark in Biarritz, June 30, 2021 GAIZKA IROZ AFP / Archives

On the women's side, two of the big favorites, the Brazilians Leticia Bufoni and Pamela Rosa, failed in qualifying when, on the men's side, the superstar Nyjah Huston missed his final (7th out of 8).

One thing is certain in the park: the very young and popular Briton Sky Brown, world No. 3, who has just turned 13 and whose mother is Japanese, will be eagerly awaited.

If she wins the gold medal, she will become the youngest Olympic champion in the history of the Summer Olympics.

Japan's Misugu Okamoto, 15, and Sakura Yosozumi are also among the favorites.

For men, the main contenders will be Americans, like Heimana Reynolds, Cory Juneau and Zion Wright or Brazilians, like Pedro Barros and Luiz Franscico.

Japan has taken over the street titles: Yuto Horigome, 22, won in the men and Momiji Nishiya, soon 14, won in the women.

The two French from the park will try to climb among the eight finalists, like Vincent Milou and Aurélien Giraud, in street, who respectively took 4th and 6th place in the final.

Matheron spoke with "his best friend" Giraud, in contention a week before him on the Olympic site and confided that Milou had given him "two three tips on the bowl" of Tokyo.

Skateboarding is one of the five additional sports at these Games along with surfing, karate, rock climbing and baseball / softball.

© 2021 AFP