TOKONAME, Japan — The ramps at Aichi Sky Expo came alive Thursday as some of Asia’s top female skateboarders battled for places in the women’s park final at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
The women’s park preliminaries were held on September 24 at Hall B of Aichi Sky Expo, marking the opening day of skateboarding competition at the Games. The medal round is scheduled for Friday, September 25.
Among the athletes photographed in action were South Korea’s Gwak Min-ji and Cho Hyun-ju, Chinese Taipei’s Lin Yi-fan, Japan’s Misugu Okamoto, and China’s Cao Shiqi. Their performances highlighted the growing depth of women’s skateboarding across Asia.
Japan Sets the Pace in the Preliminary Round
Japan made an early statement in the women’s park competition.
Mizuho Hasegawa topped her preliminary heat with 89.15 points, while fellow Japanese skater Misugu Okamoto also advanced to the final after recording 74.63 points.
The strong Japanese showing comes in a sport where the country has established a major international presence, making the host nation’s skaters among the athletes to watch as the competition moves toward the medal round.
Young Filipino Skater Mazel Paris Advances
The preliminaries also produced a major moment for the Philippines.
Just 12 years old, Filipino skateboarder Mazel Paris posted 73.93 points to advance to the women’s park final. She finished fourth in her heat, according to Philippine media reports.
Paris, who became the youngest Filipino gold medalist at the 2025 Southeast Asian Games, will now face a highly competitive final field that includes skaters from Japan, South Korea, China and Chinese Taipei.
Her Philippine teammate Elizabeth Amador scored 59.99 and did not advance to the final.
What Makes Park Skateboarding Different?
Unlike street skateboarding, which emphasizes rails, stairs and other urban-style obstacles, park skateboarding is performed on a course featuring ramps, bowls and transitions.
Skaters are judged on elements such as the difficulty and execution of their tricks, the use of the course and the overall quality of their runs.
That makes consistency especially important: one strong run can dramatically change the standings in a tightly packed field.
Asian Games Skateboarding Enters a Critical Stage
The Aichi-Nagoya organizers scheduled skateboarding across four days.
The women’s and men’s park preliminaries are being held September 24, followed by the park finals on September 25. The street events then take over, with preliminaries on September 26 and finals on September 27.
The competition is being staged at Aichi Sky Expo in Tokoname, Aichi Prefecture, giving skateboarders a dedicated indoor venue for the Asian Games.
For the women, Friday’s final will bring together a mix of established international competitors and younger athletes looking to make their mark on the continental stage.
With Japan already producing the highest preliminary score and the Philippines’ Mazel Paris securing a place in the medal round, attention now shifts to one question:
Who will turn a strong preliminary run into Asian Games gold?
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