Monster Energy Athletes Claim Gold Medals and Podium Spots in Paris

Action Sports Athletes Earn Total of 9 Medals (2 Gold, 3 Silver, 4 Bronze) Across Skateboarding, BMX, and Surf Competitions in Paris

CORONA, Calif., Aug. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Way to bring the heat to Paris! Monster Energy congratulates its Skateboard, BMX, and Surf athletes on an outstanding performance. Over the course of the competitions, Monster Energy athletes claimed a total of nine medals (two gold, three silver, and four bronze) in action sports competitions.

Leading the charge, 14-year-old Australian Monster Army rider Arisa Trew claimed gold in the Women's Skateboard Park event. Also claiming gold, 29-year-old Argentinian Jose Torres cemented himself as an action sports icon by winning the Men's BMX Freestyle discipline.

Monster Energy riders earning silver medals consist of Japan's Cocona Hiraki (Women's Skateboard Park) and Liz Akama (Women's Skateboard Street), as well as  USA's Tom Schaar (Men's Skateboard Park). Four riders brought home bronze medals: The USA's Nyjah Huston (Men's Skateboard Street), Brazil's Gabriel Medina (Men's Surfing) and Rayssa Leal (Women's Skateboard Street), as well as French team rider Anthony JeanJean (Men's BMX Freestyle).

"Congratulations to our Monster Energy athletes on rising to the very top in this major international showcase for action sports. We are proud of our newly minted gold medalists, first-time medal winners, as well as repeat medalists who performed at the highest level in front of millions of fans worldwide," said Mitch Covington, Senior Vice President of Sports Marketing at Monster Energy.

From July 26 to August 11, the games attracted the world's best athletes. After celebrating their debut at the 2020 games in Tokyo, action sports such as BMX Freestyle, Skateboarding, and Surfing once again featured prominently in the international showcase watched by millions of viewers worldwide. Here are competition highlights as they unfolded in Paris:

Monster Energy riders emerged as a dominant force by claiming the two top medals in the Women's Skateboard Park event. But it all came down to final runs in a highly contested international field: 14-year-old Australian Monster Army rider Arisa Trew found herself in silver medal position with only one remaining attempt. Rising to the challenge, the skate prodigy put down a flawless run spiked with backside 360 melon the box, body varial McTwist the extension, switch melon into a Cab frontside nosebone and frontside noseblunt pull-in revert for 93.18 points for the gold.

Trew is having a milestone-heavy 2024 season: Her first medal as an Olympian follows double gold medals at X Games Ventura, victories at Tony Hawk's Vert Alert as well as the qualifiers for Paris, and a series of first-ever-performed tricks in women's skateboarding such as 900-degree aerial and Switch McTwist in a historic year.

Also showing grace under pressure, previous silver medalist Cocona Hiraki from Japan put it all on the line for her last attempt – and took home precious metal. In Run 3, the 15-year-old from Hokkaido strung together tricks including kickflip Indy the channel, backside nosegrind the extension, stylish backside crailslide, and feeble grind the rail for 92.63 points and her second medal as an Olympian in the discipline after earning her first silver at age 12.

Continuing the wins, Monster Energy riders claimed two medals in the Men's BMX Freestyle discipline. Argentina's Jose Torres cemented himself as an action sports icon by winning the gold with a high-speed run on his first attempt: Tricks such as 360 double tailwhip transfer and 720 double tailwhip performed at high altitude earned Torres 94.82 points and the gold. The win marked Argentina's first medal in Paris, elevating Torres to national hero status.

Torres was joined on the podium by 26-year-old French rider Anthony JeanJean in bronze medal position. After having difficulty finishing his first run, JeanJean found his groove on his last attempt cheered on by the French crowd. Big tricks and difficult spins earned JeanJean a massive score of 93.76 to claim his spot on the podium.

Two top spots in the heated Women's Skateboard Street final belonged to Monster Energy athletes. Coming into the competition fresh off a silver medal at X Games Ventura 2024, 15-year-old Liz Akama from Miyagi, Japan, showcased her technical bag of tricks to claim the silver medal. Tricks such as Barley grind revert and frontside 270 switch front boardslide the rail earned 265.95 points and second place.

Brazilian team rider Rayssa Leal, who previously won a silver medal in Tokyo, faced a tough battle in the final. After only earning a mere 71.66 points on her Run score, the 16-year-old from Imperatriz, Brazil, found herself outside of podium contention until the final attempt of the contest. When it all counted, Leal finessed a perfect kickflip frontside boardslide the rail for a score of 253.37 points and third place. The bronze medal makes Leal the youngest-ever athlete with two medals from Brazil.

First-time medalist, USA's Tom Schaar emerged from the pressure cooker Men's Skateboard Park final with the silver medal. The 24-year-old from Malibu, California, opened his run with a gap-out alley-oop backside lipslide transfer over the ten-foot channel and put down tailgrab 540, kickflip Indy fakie and a tweaked frontside 360 stalefish over the box for 92.23 points and second place as the best-performing US rider in the discipline.

Also earning his first-ever medal, 29-year-old Nyjah Huston from Laguna Beach, California, dropped technical tricks in the Men's Skateboard Park to earn bronze. In the Run section, the most decorated street skateboarder of all time put down a perfect run peppered with standouts such as gap-out kickflip backside lipslide the rail. In Best Trick, he upped the ante by landing switch heelflip frontside tailslide and frontside nollie heelflip noseblunt slide the rail for a total score of 279.38 points and third place.

Concluding the Monster Energy team's medal run, the Men's Surfing competition across the globe in Tahiti saw 30-year-old Gabriel Medina earn the bronze medal for Brazil. The three-time World Champion not only battled a field of top competitors, but also had to rise above the elements: Although Medina was only able to put down one high-scoring run due to adverse wave conditions, he still emerged victorious from the bronze-medal matchup, in which he beat Peru's Alonso Correa.

Again, congratulations on our team of Monster Energy athletes on claiming nine medals in Paris!

Visit www.monsterenergy.com for more information about our action sports athletes, and make sure to follow Monster Energy on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.

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About Monster Energy
Based in Corona, California, Monster Energy is the leading marketer of energy drinks and alternative beverages. Refusing to acknowledge the traditional, Monster Energy supports the scene and sport. Whether motocross, off-road, NASCAR, MMA, BMX, surf, snowboard, ski, skateboard, or the rock and roll lifestyle, Monster Energy is a brand that believes in authenticity and the core of what its sports, athletes, and musicians represent. More than a drink, it's the way of life lived by athletes, bands, believers, and fans. See more about Monster Energy including all of its drinks at www.monsterenergy.com.

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