We were totally stoked to hear that Street League Skateboarding announced the first ever women’s world championship last month. It was about time, because these ladies have been shredding for a while now and were long overdue for some big time comp recognition (not to mention a shot at $30k).
If you missed the championship on October 4, here are the top four women skaters who crushed the competition that you’ll need to keep an eye on in the coming years.
First Place: Leticia Bufoni
Maybe you know her as the gorgeous Brazilian skater who made more than a few jaws drop after her recent photo shoot for ESPN’s Body Issue. That was great and all, but have you seen the woman’s inward heel flip? Bufoni carried the day at the SLS Supercrown World Championship, scoring 22.8 after nailing an impressive 360 flip. She left Chicago with a well-deserved $30k and an $11,000 Nixon watch, all smiles after her historic win.
Second Place: Vanessa Torres
It’s hard to argue when someone says Vanessa Torres is one of the most distinguished, not to mention versatile, skaters around these days. She made her X Games debut in 2003 and became the first woman to win a gold medal at the games— she took the street comp, a major victory in the first ever X Games to feature women. Her SLS appearance was stunning, and it’s safe to say that Torres slid into second place with her beautiful frontside boardslide.
Third Place: Alana Smith
When she was 12, Alana became the first female to land a McTwist in competition, which is ridiculously awesome. Never one to shy away from a challenge, Alana has always held her own when competing against the boys, so it probably comes as no surprise that she is the youngest X Games medalist ever. At only 15 years old, Alana is well on her way to becoming one of the top street skaters in the world.
Fourth Place: Lacey Baker
Lacey Baker has been kicking ass and taking names ever since her X Games debut in 2006, when she took third place in street at the age of 15. She’s come a long way since then, appearing in a ton of videos (her own video, Bombshell, is wild) and most recently took the street gold at the X Games in 2014.
