The Pro Street Skater from Portugal

The clock is ticking as the 2020 Olympics draw near. The 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan will be the first Olympics to showcase skateboarding and Braille Skateboarding could not be any more excited! The world’s best skateboarders will have the opportunity to represent their countries and skate for Olympic glory.

With only 80 skaters total, meaning 20 skaters per event (Men’s Street, Men’s Park, Women’s Street, Women’s Park), the journey to qualify to skate at the Olympics has not been an easy one. 

Braille Skateboarding has been closely following the action and one of the  street skateboarding standouts that we have our eye on is the Portuguese professional skateboarder, Gustavo Ribeiro.

This blog will shine a light on Gustavo and his successful professional skateboarding career. We’ll go over some of Gustavo’s sponsors, notable contest runs, contest results, video parts and more! Be sure to continue reading to learn more about this future skateboarding Olympian.

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 Gustavo Ribeiro?

Gustavo Pereira Ribeiro is a professional skateboarder born on March 27, 2001, in Lisbon, Portugal. He started skateboarding at the age of 5 after being gifted a skateboard from his uncle. He quickly took to street skating and began to progress at an incredible rate alongside his twin brother, Gabriel. Interestingly enough, though the brothers are twins, Gustavo skates goofy while his brother skates regular.

From a young age, the Ribeiro brothers have been at the forefront of the Portuguese skateboarding scene. In 2017, Gustavo Ribeiro became the first Portuguese skateboarder to win the Tampa AM. Even before winning Tampa AM, Gustavo knew what he wanted to do with his life; become a professional skateboarder.

Since then, he’s been improving his craft, filming video parts and competing in street competitions.

Gustavo Ribeiro in 2020

Gustavo Ribeiro is currently ranked third in the Olympic World Skateboarding Rankings for Men’s Street with 87,500 points. He is on the pro team for Jart Skateboards. Some of his other sponsors include Red Bull, Bana Skateshop and Ementa SB.

Gustavo recently competed at the World Skate Oi STU Open in November 2019 where he placed 29th overall. He’s been placing higher even more recently.

• 3rd Place, Street League World Championships Sao Paulo
• 4th Place, X Games Norway
• 6th Place, Dew Tour Long Beach

With these ranks, he clearly has some skill to compete in the Olympics.

On top of the great contest performances, Gustavo has also been busy filming some absolutely insane tricks for his video part. In the summer of 2019, Gustavo Ribeiro’s Full Length Pro Part for Jart Skateboards was released. “Nine to Five” includes some of Ribeiro’s best skating and has been viewed over a quarter of a million times on Youtube alone. Check it out here. 

Video Highlights

As you can see, he’s made a name for himself over the past couple of years.

While we don’t know for sure if he will make it in to the Olympics, we’re rooting for him! We can’t wait to see what he does next. And if this is the first time you’re seeing his name, you can be sure it won’t be the last!

In Conclusion

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 Gustavo Ribeiro? What tricks do you think he’s practicing on his road to the Olympics? Who else should we cover as the skaters on their way to the Olympics? Leave it in the comments below!

Feature Image Credit: The Boardr