U.S. Olympic teams in skateboarding, BMX freestyle, breaking and sport climbing were finalized at the Olympic Qualifier Series’ second leg in Budapest this weekend.
Twenty American athletes made the team for Paris through the series.
The most dramatic competition was in men’s park skateboarding.
Tom Schaar, who just missed qualifying for skateboarding’s Olympic debut in Tokyo, needed to finish in the top two to unseat Jagger Eaton for the last American spot in Paris.
LIST: U.S. athletes qualified for Paris Olympics
Schaar, 24, finished second to Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Keegan Palmer of Australia to overtake Eaton. He moved up to No. 4 in global Olympic qualifying behind American Tate Carew, Palmer and American Gavin Bottger.
“I was doing the math last night forever trying to figure out what it would take and finally I was like, ‘I have to get first or second, pretty much,’” Schaar said, according to the Olympic Information Service.
Eaton is ranked fifth in global Olympic qualifying but did not qualify for Paris because a nation can qualify no more than three skateboarders per event.
Eaton, the Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist in street and the 2023 World champion in park, was bidding to compete in both events in Paris. He did qualify in street, along with countrymen Nyjah Huston and Chris Joslin.
The U.S. women’s Olympic skateboard team is made up of Tokyo Olympians Bryce Wettstein (park) and Mariah Duran (street), plus Olympic rookies Ruby Lilley and Minna Stess (park) and Paige Heyn and Poe Pinson (street).
Heyn, 16, is so far the youngest American to qualify for the Paris Olympics in any sport, though athletes have yet to be named in many sports.
In women’s street, Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Momiji Nishiya did not make the Japanese team for Paris.
Three years ago, she became at age 13 the youngest Summer Olympic gold medalist since 1960 and the second-youngest woman to win a Summer Olympic title after American diver Marjorie Gestring in 1936, according to the OlyMADMen.
Andy Macdonald, the 1996 X Games vert champion, qualified in men’s park at age 50 for Great Britain.
BMX Freestyle: Hannah Roberts leads U.S. roster
In BMX freestyle, Hannah Roberts, a five-time world champion and Tokyo Olympic silver medalist, won in Budapest to wrap up a spot in Paris.
Roberts is joined on the U.S. BMX freestyle women’s team by Perris Benegas, who was fourth in Tokyo.
Tokyo Olympian Justin Dowell and Marcus Christopher make up the U.S. men’s team in BMX freestyle, which made its Olympic debut three years ago.
Tokyo gold medalists Charlotte Worthington of Great Britain and Logan Martin of Australia did not qualify for Paris through the Olympic Qualifier Series. Both can still get into the Olympic field if picked by their country.
Sport Climbing: Brooke Raboutou returns to Olympics
Tokyo Olympian Brooke Raboutou and Zach Hammer round out the U.S. sport climbing team after clinching spots in Budapest.
Raboutou, fifth in climbing’s Olympic debut in Tokyo, won both legs of the Olympic Qualifier Series in the boulder and lead combined event.
Hammer, 18, is going to his first Olympics in speed as the youngest member of the U.S. climbing team.
Natalia Grossman, Emma Hunt, Piper Kelly, Colin Duffy, Jesse Grupper and Samuel Watson previously qualified.
Nathaniel Coleman, the lone U.S. climbing medalist in Tokyo (silver), decided not to compete in any Olympic qualifying events.
Breaking: Jeffro edges Gravity for last spot
Americans Logan Edra (b-girl Logistx) and Jeffrey Louis (b-boy Jeffro) made the quarterfinals in Budapest to qualify for breaking’s Olympic debut.
They join the previously qualified Victor Montalvo, the 2023 World champion for the men, and Sunny Choi, the 2023 Pan American Games women’s champion.
Louis was in a tight competition with Miguel Rosario (b-boy Gravity) for the last U.S. men’s spot. Rosario would have gotten the spot if he won his quarterfinal. Had Louis and Rosario both won their quarterfinals, they would have faced off in the semifinals with an Olympic berth at stake.
