Eric Uribe
Four sports were added to the Olympics for the first time for the 2020 Games, one of which includes an American favorite — skateboarding (surfing, karate, and sports climbing are the other ones)! In this article, we’ll give you the full lowdown on the new skating addition and finish off by offering our own park skateboarding predictions, which bettors will find useful as the 2020 Olympics wind down. Let’s jump right into it:
How Will Skateboarding Work At The Olympics?
There are actually two separate skateboarding events in Tokyo. One is the street competition, which already finished. Japan dominated that competition, taking three of six medals (including both golds) across the men’s and women’s events. The second skating event is the park edition, which also has gender-specific competitions. This is what we’ll be covering in this article as the medals have yet to be decided on it.
The obvious difference between the two events is the setting. Street skating takes place in urban-like environments where objects like benches, rails, and walls are used to perform tricks off of. Whereas park skating features a bowl-like structure that helps skaters build speed and height to pull off moves that incite “oohs” and “ahs.”
Oohs and ahs are exactly how medals are won. Skaters must perform their best stuff in front of five judges, who score them on a scale from 0-100. Judges base their scores on air suspension, difficulty, originality, speed, among other things. Competitors get three different 45-seconds runs to rack up scores. The highest one they earn will become their main score that’ll decide final and medal placement.
In park skateboarding, there are 20 competitors in each gender-specific event. They must go through heats in groups of five (so four groups total). The top-eight scorers advance to the finals, where the medals are decided.
Men’s Park Skateboarding Betting Pick
Betting odds for each event are available at online bookmakers. On the men’s side, the field favorites are dominated by Americans. As you can see below, three of the top-four betting front-runners are from the United States:
| Skater |  |  |
| Heimana Reynolds (USA) | +130 | +180 |
| Cory Juneau (USA) | +130 | +300 |
| Zion Wright (USA) | N/A | +550 |
| Luiz Francisco (Brazil) | +350 | +900 |
Skateboarding is notoriously a “crapshoot” hence why there are no staggering favorites. No one knows what trick a skater will have up their sleeve come event day. However, you can guestimate a skater’s skill level by their world ranking. Reynolds is currently No. 1, while Juneau is No. 2. Either one would be a solid bet, however, if we had to choose one, it would be Reynolds. He has a devil-may-care attitude about him — that’s high by even skater standards — that can excel under the big stage of the Olympics.
Women’s Park Skateboarding Betting Pick
Whereas the men’s favorites were mostly an American affair, that does not carry over to the women. No USA competitors are among the top front-runners here:
| Skater | | |
| Misugu Okamoto (Japan) | -175 | +115 |
| Sakura Yosozumi (Japan) | +175 | +165 |
| Sky Brown (Great Britain) | +300 | +375 |
| Lizzie Armanto (Finland) | +650 | +1100 |
What stands out about the “top dogs” are their ages. For instance, Okamoto is 15 and Brown is all 13 years old. But hey, given 13-year-old Momiki Nishiya won gold in the women’s street skate event, a diminutive size is actually advantageous in this unique sport.
We think deja vu happens here again as 13-year-old Brown claims the gold. Born in Japan, but representing Britain at the games (where she grew up), Brown has routinely come up big in big-time events. She won bronze at the world championships in 2019 followed by silver at the Dew Tour only months ago. This time around, it feels like Brown’s coming-out party to the world as one of the youngest phenoms in her sport.
How To Watch & Bet On Skateboarding At The 2020 Olympics?
Park skateboarding is one of the final events of the 2020 Olympics. The women’s event takes place on back-to-back days with heats on August 3 followed by the finals on August 4. Men also compete over a two-day span, only they begin on August 4 and wrap up on August 5.
If you’re in the United States, you’ll likely be fast asleep when these events do down at the Tokyo Ariake Urban Sports Park due to the steep time differences between both countries. However, tape-delayed replays can be watched on several outlets. There are the traditional TV channels like the NBC Sports Network and USA Network. Streamers can follow along with the Peacock app that’s free of charge (or $5 for the starter package).
For the best Olympics betting odds — whether on skateboarding or another sport — then head to one of the online sportsbooks below. These betting sites are a one-stop-shop for wagering on the Olympics. Better yet, the betting prices are among the best in the business so you’re always maximizing value.
If you’ve never wagered there before then you’re in luck. Right now, these same bookies underneath are offering huge sign-up bonuses to first-time players. When maxed out, the bonuses can net bettors hundreds to thousands of dollars in free play — no strings attached! The table below has details are current offers available at each site.
Taking advantage of these bonuses is a great way to level up your betting bankroll in a hurry. The final week of the Olympics will be fast and furious, and having a sizable bankroll will help you keep pace. Money earned can also be bet on other sporting events so the choice of how to spend the funds is completely yours!
See below the top sportsbooks where you can wager online and choose the best one for you:
