Monster Energy's Sora Shirai Takes First Place in Men's Skateboard Street at WST World Cup Rome 2026

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• New Team Rider Shirai Claims Victory in Competition Sanctioned by World Skate Governing Body
• Men's Skateboard Street: 19-Year-Old Toa Sasaki from Mie, Japan, Takes 3^rd Place
• Men's Skateboard Park: 26-Year-Old Monster Energy Team Rider Tom Schaar from Malibu, California, Takes 2nd Place, 15-Year-Old Monster Army Rider Egoitz Bijueska from Spain Claims 3rd Place
• Women's Skateboard Park: 17-Year-Old Cocona Hiraki from Hokkaido, Japan, Takes 3rd Place

ROME, June 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- What a welcome to the team! Monster Energy congratulates newly signed team rider Sora Shirai on taking first place in Men's Skateboard Street at the World Skateboarding Tour (WST) World Cup Rome 2026 on Sunday. In the official event organized by World Skate, the official governing body for skateboarding in the Olympics, the 24-year-old from Sagamihara, Japan, took the win with next-level technical street tricks. Shirai was joined on the all-Japanese podium by 19-year-old Toa Sasaki from Mie, Japan, in third place.

Sanctioned by World Skate, the official governing body for skateboarding in the Olympics, the WST World Cup Rome brought together the world's best park and street skateboarders from June 7–21 as the official starting point of the Road to LA28 Olympic qualification campaign. After crowning winners in the Park discipline at The Spot Skatepark in Ostia last weekend, Sunday culminated a week of street skateboarding competitions at Colle Oppio Skatepark overlooking the world-famous Colosseum.

Overall, more than 440 athletes from over 70 nations competed at WST World Cup Rome this year. Featuring a prize purse of $200,000 per discipline, divided equally between male and female athletes, this year marked the sixth edition of World Skate competitions in Rome.

The Men's Skateboard Street final featured eight of the world's best street skateboarders from a total of five countries. In this elite field, newly signed Monster Energy team rider Sora Shirai dropped in as last year's WST World Cup Rome winner and as the current world No. 1 ranked street skateboarder.

Setting the tone early, Shirai put together a flawless line in the Run section on his first attempt. Standouts including frontside 180 switch crooked the rail, frontside 270 backside lipslide the gap rail, and Caballerial backside tailslide bigspin the Hubba earned Shirai a strong 86.47 points and an early lead on the leaderboard.

Maintaining his momentum in the Best Trick section, Shirai finessed a frontside 180 switch nosegrind revert (also known as the "Sora Grind") on the Hubba ledge on his second attempt for 91.45 points. When all was said and done, Shirai claimed his second consecutive WST World Cup Rome victory with a total score of 177.92 points atop an all-Japanese podium, kicking off his Road to LA28 qualification campaign on a strong note.

Also commanding a spot on the podium, 19-year-old Toa Sasaki from Mie, Japan, dropped in as a top contender after claiming second place at last year's WST World Cup Rome. Setting up his run, Sasaki landed backside noseblunt slide the rail, frontside kickflip the quarter pipe, huge backside 360 ollie the pyramid to flat, and Caballerial backside noseblunt slide fakie the Hubba on his first attempt for a strong 84.91 points. In the Best Trick section, Sasaki delivered Caballerial frontside noseslide fakie the Hubba on his third attempt for 83.50 points. When the session wrapped, the two-time World Champion took home third place with a total score of 168.41 points to round out an all-Japanese podium in this Road to LA28 season opener.

The previous weekend, the Men's Skateboard Park event at the WST World Cup Rome 2026 saw 26-year-old Tom Schaar from Malibu, California, battle for the top spot all the way to the final run. Schaar landed a marvelous run featuring frontside 5-0 transfer off the extension, frontside 180 switch crooked the hip, kickflip Indy transfer the platform ramp to deep end, backside 540 tailgrab, heelflip Indy, varial kickflip Indy to fakie, melon 540, and Indy 360 the volcano for 93.15 points on his first attempt but slammed heavily on his last attempt in the Golden Run and settled for second place.

Rounding out the podium, 15-year-old Monster Army team rider and current World Champion Egoitz Bijueska from Bilbao, Spain, was flawless throughout the contest. Stringing together huge frontside air the gap channel, frontside Smith grind transfer off the extension, switch backside 180 melon the volcano, kickflip McTwist the deep end, heelflip Indy to fakie, and Cab 720 Weddle to score 93.00 points, Bijueska took third place in the high-stakes final.

In Women's Skateboard Park, 17-year-old Cocona Hiraki from Hokkaido, Japan, the 2023 WST World Champion, put together a perfect trio of runs to finish in third place with a best run at 89.00 points as the highest score. Trick highlights including backside nosegrind the loveseat, backside kickflip the deep end, backside lipslide the extension, frontside nosegrind to lipslide over the corner, kickflip Indy the extension, and backside crailslide paved Hiraki's return to the podium in Rome.

Felipe Nunes participated in the Adaptive Invitational sessions at the World Skate (WST) World Cup in Rome, performing showcase runs alongside fellow adaptive skateboarders during both Park and Street sessions.

For more on Sora Shirai, Tom Schaar, Toa Sasaki, Egoitz Bijueska, Cocona Hiraki, Felipe Nunes, and the Monster Energy skateboarding team, visit www.monsterenergy.com. Follow Monster Energy on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok for exclusive updates as the action sports season continues.

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 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.

CONTACT: Kim Dresser C: (949) 300-5546 E: [email protected]

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