9-year-old skater Kokona Hiraki qualifies for Vans Park Series World Championships

SINGAPORE - Nine-year-old Japanese skater Kokona Hiraki proved age is no obstacle when she won the women's category of the Asia Continental Championships, presented by Vans Park Series, at the East Coast Xtreme Skatepark on Saturday (Aug 18).

With a flawless routine filled with tricks like the BS nose grind and powerful BS disasters, Kokona beat Misugu Okamoto and Nyimas Bunga Cinta, who finished second and third respectively.

Kensuke Sasaoka, the 19-year-old defending champion for the male category, once again came out tops, pulling off moves like the BS 540s in the deep end and the Indy 360s off the tombstone in front of more than 200 spectators, as Taisei Kikuchi and Daisuke Ikeda filled the podium.

Singaporean Rocky Chann, 17, and 27-year-old Feroze Rahman placed 11th and 15th respectively.

Kokona and Sasaoka also earned invites to the Vans Park Series World Championships which will be held in China on Oct 26 and 27.

The 2018 Vans Park Series Pro Tour is the premier series for professional park terrain skateboarders consisting of global qualifiers - four for men's and three for women's - spanning five countries over six months and culminating with the World Championships.

The series showcases an international roster of skateboarding's elite pros and carries a total series purse of over US$700,000 (S$960,000).