Olympic gold medalist Yuto Horigome marks opening of new skateboard park in Tokyo

The Yomiuri Shimbun

21:00 JST, November 16, 2022

Olympic gold medalist Yuto Horigome put on a rousing display at the opening ceremony for a new skateboard park in Tokyo’s Koto Ward.

Horigome, 23, performed at the ceremony on Sunday for the new Yumenoshima skateboard park. Originally from Koto Ward himself, Horigome won the men’s street skateboarding event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

The skateboard park covers about 2,400 square meters. Daisuke Hayakawa, a coach for the Japanese national team who has been training Horigome, supervised its design.

There are four sections for beginners including gentle slopes, and 10 sections for intermediate skateboarders with stairs and other features.

Horigome performed Sunday on a vert ramp curved at both ends. The crowd cheered as he soared high into the air.

“It’s smooth and perfect,” Horigome said with a smile. “The scenery’s beautiful, and it’s fun to skateboard here.”

The park opened to the public on Tuesday. Admission is ¥450 for adults and ¥150 for elementary and junior high school students.