The 17 Year Old Japanese Skater, Sakura Yosozumi

Skateboarding will be making its debut at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan this upcoming July/August and Braille Skateboarding couldn’t be any more excited. It’s about time, if you ask us! The level of talent, skill and grit possessed by the world’s top ranked skateboarders is truly something behold. At the upcoming Olympics, people from all around the globe will finally bare witness to the incredible abilities that these pro skaters have to offer. 

There are only 20 spots available in each division;  Women’s/Men’s Street and Women’s/Men’s Park. With just 80 skaters competing at the Olympic Games, the qualification process to earn those spots has not been easy! We’re in the last season of the Olympic Qualifiers, so the skaters who are currently at or near the top of the divisions have almost claimed their spot. As long as these skaters can continue to do well in the rest of Olympic qualifying contests, it’s likely we’ll be seeing them skate in Japan this summer.

One of the skaters who won’t have to do much travelling to compete this summer is Japan’s own, Sakura Yosozumi. The 17 year old skater currently ranked 2nd in Women’s Street Park overall, so there’s a very good chance you’ll be seeing her in the Olympics.

This blog will take a closer look at Yosozumi and how she has performed at recent Olympic qualifying events.  We’ll go over some of her sponsors too, so be sure to continue reading as we get to know more about Sakura Yosozumi. 

How Do You Qualify For The Olympics?

The biggest confusion behind the Olympics is picking out the competitors. You’ve probably seen many names, but you’ve already heard that there are only 16 spots. So, how does this work?

Selecting the competitors is based on a point system. These points are earned by skating in specifically sanctioned skateboarding events. There are two qualifying seasons. The first was from January 2019 to September 30, 2019. So this one has already happened.

The second qualifying season is from October 1, 2019 to May 31, 2020. The skater’s best two scores from the first season get added to their best 5 scores from the second season. This will create the Olympic World Skateboarding Rankings.

From this ranking, you will get who is eligible to compete in the Olympic Games. Now, part of what determines this is that there are quotas that have to be met for each country and continent. This way you can have an equal balance of skaters from different countries and not only skaters from USA, Japan, and Brazil. 

Okay, now let’s get into the actual skaters of the Olympics! It’s without a doubt one of the biggest achievements for a skater to go on this journey to the Olympics. But, it looks like they’re having a blast, so I think they’re enjoying the journey!

Who is Sakura Yosozumi?

Sakura Yosozumi is a regular-footed professional skateboarder. She was born on March 15th, 2002, in Wakayama, Japan. She picked up skateboarding in 2013 after being influenced from by older brother.

Sakura got her first taste of skateboard competition when the World Cup of Skateboarding made a stop in Tokyo in 2016. Though she placed 29th, Sakura Yosozumi was only 3 years into skateboarding at that point and had a promising future. In 2017, the Vans Park Series held the Asian Championships in Singapore where she had another chance to compete amongst the best in the world. Amazingly, Sakura earned herself 3rd place.

From that point on, she kept on improving. Since 2017, she’s placed in the top 10 in every competition she’s skated in. Don’t believe us? It’s true! No wonder she’s currently ranked 2nd for Women’s Park.

Here are some notable events where she’s placed well at:

• Vans Park Series World Championships Womens Finals 2019 – 1st Place
• World Skate OI STU Open Womens Park Finals 2019 – 2nd Place
• ANOC World Beach Games Qatar Park Womens Finals 2019 – 1st Place
• X Games Minneapolis Womens Park 2019 – 4th Place
• Asian Games Women’s Park Finals 2018 – 1st Place

Those are just a few of many strong contest finishes from Yosozumi. The list keeps growing, too! We’re in the middle of the final Olympic Qualifying Season, and we’re confident Yosozumi will be bringing the heat!

What Has Sakura Yosozumi Been Up To?

Sakura Yosozumi is a member of the Japanese National Skateboarding Team. She is currently ranked 2nd in the Olympic World Skateboarding Rankings for Women’s Park with 124,000 points. Above her is fellow Japanese skater, Misugu Okamoto with 180,000. As she’s the 2nd Japanase skater in the ranks, it’s pretty set in stone that she’ll be going to the Olympics.

Some of her sponsors include Red Bull, Five Cross Skatepark, 13mind, Willys Workshop, 187 Killer Pads, Bones, Pro-Tec, Mob, Stance, Oomiya, and Independent. Most recently, Sakura placed 2nd at the World Skate Oi STU Open Women’s Park Finals in November, 2019. Prior to that she earned 1st place finishes at the Exposure Women’s Vert Open, and ANOC World Beach Games Qatar Women’s Park Finals in October.

2019 was clearly a busy year for Sakura Yosozumi as she competed to earn her spot at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. Rightfully so, Sakura has maintained a fantastic position in the rankings. It’s going to be really exciting to see what she pulls out of her trick bag for the Olympics.

Sakura Yosozumi’s Skateboarding Progression

One thing that’s very noticable with Yosozumi’s skateboarding is how much she progressed over the years. Even though she’s been doing well in the competitions over the years, you can clearly see how she’s gotten a lot better over the past couple of years.

It just goes to show how someone can have that passion to get better, work at it every day and achieve her goals. And that perfectly aligns with Braille’s goals. Keep it going Sakura! We support you all the way!

Check out the videos below to see just how far she’s come over the past couple of years.

Video Highlights

In Conclusion

As you can see, she’s extremely talented on a board. It’s also remarkable that she’s only 17 and is currently in 2nd place! We’re excited to see where she goes as she continues this journey into the Olympics.

Though most of us will simply be watching the Olympics, Braille Skateboarding knows that some of you dream of competing at the Olympics one day. We can help you achieve that goal! Check out Skateboarding Made Simple in our Online Shop. It’s the most detailed lesson plan for skateboarding in existence, and you will surely improve your skills after watching and studying our SMS tutorials. With 9 different volumes, you’ll go from learning how to ride on a board, to skating skateparks and landing more advanced flatground tricks…FIRST TRY! Now get out there and skate! What do you think of Sakura Yosozumi? What tricks do you think she’s practicing on her road to the Olympics? Who else should we cover as the skaters on their way to the Olympics? Leave it in the comments below! We would love to hear your input.

Feature Image Credit: Vans Park Series.