Monster Energy Team Riders Claim Medals in Key Events on Day 1 of X Games Chiba 2026
- Women's BMX Park: 16-Year-Old Miharu Ozawa from Gifu, Japan, Claims Gold Medal, 24-Year-Old Kim Lea Mueller from Remscheid, Germany, Takes Bronze Medal
- Men's BMX Street: 30-Year-Old Jordan Godwin from Cardiff, Wales, Takes Silver Medal
- Men's Skateboard Street Best Trick: 20-Year-Old Filipe Mota from Brazil Earns Silver Medal
- Men's Skateboard Vert: 30-Year-Old Moto Shibata from Osaka, Japan, Takes Bronze Medal
- Moto X Best Trick: 25-Year-Old Ben Richards from Australia Claims Bronze Medal
CHIBA, Japan, July 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Bringing the heat to Japan! Monster Energy congratulates its team of action sports athletes on a strong performance on the first day of X Games Chiba 2026. On Saturday, Monster Energy riders claimed a total of six medals (one gold, two silver, and three bronze) across five contest events at the Makuhari Messe event center in Chiba City.
In the Women's BMX Park final, 16-year-old Miharu Ozawa from Gifu, Japan, claimed her second consecutive gold after her dominant victory at X Games Sacramento the prior weekend. Also rising to the podium, 24-year-old Kim Lea Mueller from Remscheid, Germany, earned the bronze medal. The team's podium run continued in Monster Energy Men's Skateboard Street Best Trick, where 20-year-old Filipe Mota from Patos de Minas, Brazil, took silver with a high-tech move.
In the Monster Energy Men's BMX Street contest, 30-year-old Jordan Godwin from Cardiff, Wales, earned the silver medal with a stacked technical run. The progressive Men's Skateboard Vert final saw 30-year-old Moto Shibata from Osaka, Japan, claim the bronze medal. The spectacular Moto X Best Trick event concluded with 25-year-old Ben Richards from Wagga Wagga, Australia, earning the bronze medal.
From July 4–5, MoonPay X Games Chiba 2026 marks the second official competition of the new MoonPay X Games League (XGL) 2026 Summer Season. Supported by Monster Energy as an X Games League Founding Partner, XGL is the world's first year-round, team-based, co-ed league in action sports, where city-based clubs and individual athletes rack up points across the season for a shot at the championship.
Here's how the action unfolded for team Monster Energy on day one of X Games Chiba 2026:
Women's BMX Park: Miharu Ozawa Takes 2nd Consecutive Gold, Kim Lea Mueller Bronze
The team earned a key victory in the Women's BMX Park event, contested for the first time at a Japanese X Games. In the field of eight finalists, Japanese team rider Miharu Ozawa dropped in as a podium favorite after securing a dominant victory in her X Games debut at Sacramento one week earlier. Could the youngest BMX gold medalist in history maintain her dominance?
After chasing the top position for two runs, Ozawa locked in her victory on the third and final run of the contest. Watched by friends and family in the crowd, Ozawa covered the entire park course with a perfect line featuring backflip tailwhip the box, barspin to can-can, barspin x-up, x-up to x-up, double barspin, x-up air, can-can the center feature, tailwhip air, and truckdriver to tabletop for 93.33 points and the gold medal.
Ozawa now owns two X Games gold medals.
Also rising to the podium, German team rider Kim Lea Mueller dropped in hungry for more after claiming bronze in the discipline at X Games Sacramento 2026. Securing her medal on the first run, Mueller strung together a backflip can-can the box jump, tailwhip the quarterpipe, 360 can-can tiregrab, barspin air, one-handed x-up, superman seat grab the box, and can-can air on the last hit for 88.33 points and the bronze medal.
Mueller now owns three X Games bronze medals.
Monster Energy Men's Skateboard Street Best Trick: Filipe Mota Secures Silver Medal
The Chiba crowd witnessed the next level of technical moves in the Monster Energy Men's Skateboard Street Best Trick final on Saturday. In a session peppered with tricks otherwise only seen in video parts, Brazilian team rider Filipe Mota unleashed a complex technical trick to claim the silver medal.
On his third attempt, Mota hit the Hubba ledge with a nollie backside bigspin heelflip to backside tailslide backside bigspin out for second place in the session judged on a single best trick.
Mota now owns four X Games medals (one gold, two silver, one bronze).
Men's BMX Street: Jordan Godwin Takes Home Silver Medal
Earlier on Saturday morning, the Monster Energy Men's BMX Street revisited the intense rivalry from X Games Sacramento. When all was said and done, Jordan Godwin from Cardiff, Wales, claimed the silver medal with a perfect last run, thereby improving on his bronze from Sacramento.
Putting it all on the line on Run 3, Godwin hit the street course with tooth to feeble to Smith to 180, opposite tailwhip the pyramid, opposite backwards crook, gap to crooked grind, signature over opposite crank arm grind, tooth to pedal hanger crank arm 180, nollie pegs to hard 540 Cab out, and icepick to hardway 180 for 91.33 points and silver.
Godwin now owns five X Games medals (one gold, two silver, two bronze).
Men's Skateboard Vert: Moto Shibata Returns from Injury to Claim Bronze Medal
As the final skate event on the first day of X Games Chiba, the Men's Skateboard Vert unfolded with a comeback story. Cheered on by the Japanese crowd, Moto Shibata returned to the podium after battling the aftermath of an ankle fracture for the past year to claim the bronze medal.
Locking in his spot in the top three on the first run, Shibata delivered a perfect run featuring signature tricks such as alley-oop impossible lien air, alley-oop 540, backside air, kickflip McTwist, stalefish 540, sugar cane grind, lien air, lien 540, air to fakie, switch front foot impossible, and Cab Madonna on the last wall for 91.33 points.
Shibata now owns eleven X Games medals (one gold, eight silver, two bronze).
Moto X Best Trick: Ben Richards Takes Bronze Medal in Spectacular Final
As the only motorized competition at X Games Chiba, the Moto X Best Trick event stoked the crowd with spectacular dirt bike aerials and boundary-pushing tricks over the massive jump gap. After a heated battle that pushed the boundaries of trick difficulty in the sport, Ben Richards claimed the bronze medal with a technical maneuver.
Holding his own amid high-scoring runs above the 90-point benchmark, Richards landed his signature backflip body varial to double grab Hart attack on Run 1 for 93.33 points and the bronze medal.
Richards now owns four X Games medals (two silver, two bronze).
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Stay tuned for more X Games Chiba 2026 on Sunday with more opportunities for team Monster Energy to make history!
Visit www.monsterenergy.com for exclusive updates from X Games Chiba 2026, including photos, videos, and contest results as they happen. Follow Monster Energy on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok.
For interview or photo requests, contact Kim Dresser.
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 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.
CONTACT: Kim Dresser C: (949) 300-5546 E: [email protected]
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Video Highlights Day 1
SOURCE Monster Energy
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