At the moment, Artūrs is one of the most recognizable and ambitious skateboarders of the “street” discipline in the Baltics, and in the period from May to September, he participated in seven international competitions, made a mark at large-scale skateboarding festivals in Europe, and also conducted individual training there. In between all this, the rider did not go unnoticed in the local scene either – in competitions, campaigns, projects and the opening of skate parks.
With the Olympic Games in Paris fast approaching, a total of four stages of the first phase of Olympic qualification are planned for this year’s world-class competition circuit. At the beginning of the year, the athlete had to miss the first stage in Dubai due to an injury. Fortunately, the summer season was completed without significant injuries and the athlete successfully started the next two stages in Rome and Lausanne. In December, Arthur is going to go to the final selection stage of this year in Tokyo, where the world championship in skateboarding will take place. It will be the penultimate competition in the first phase of Olympic qualification. Next year they will conclude with a repeat stage in Dubai, and the results of these two races will decide a driver’s chance to enter the second phase.
Also, among the competitions of the season, Artūrs successfully competed in three stages of the World Cup, which is no less important, because in 2021 it was the overall evaluation of these competitions that ensured the athlete a place in the Olympic team C in summer sports. In June, the skateboarder reached the semi-finals of the annual Mystic Cup in Prague, Czech Republic, with technical and thoughtful rides.
Later in August with the same approach to the finals at the summer extreme sports festival “O’Marisquino” in Vigo, Spain. At the end of September, the skateboarder ended his summer tour with a high sixth position in the “Simple Session” held in the capital of Estonia, which is one of Europe’s most recognizable world-class skateboarding and BMX competitions. For the third year in a row, Artūrs entered the finals as the only representative of Latvia and for the second time improved his result by two positions, this time also joining the big winners’ podium.
The so-called city festivals are becoming more and more popular in the world of skateboarding, where skateboarding, according to local governments, enters the urban environment with activities and creative expressions of this subculture with the aim of developing both the world of skateboarding itself and introducing a completely different breath into the public space. The looser atmosphere and more entertaining types of competition remove the burden of standard competition, which accordingly appeals to an even larger number of riders.
One such event, “CPH Open”, has been taking place in Copenhagen for several years. For the third year already, Artūrs went there to combine his skating and photography interests and this year he took with him 100 copies of small-format photo journals, in which he summarized what happened last year through photographs. These magazines found their way into the hands of professionals, event organizers, local enthusiasts and skate shop representatives and received positive reviews.
Artur’s creative side was also appreciated by the organizers and participants of the relatively fresh SKTWK festival in Frankfurt, and his performance on the board also earned him the title of one of the most technical riders.
“The ‘SKTWK’ event might end up being my highlight of the season, as I was able to excel with both of my passions. As in the big matches, I showed tricks and competed, and some of the participants were the same ones who compete everywhere else. As a result, I was called to the awards together with other top European drivers. Later, my photo material was requested by the organizers and is currently being used in retrospectives and presentations. Of course, the result of “Simple Session” was a powerful drive on top of everything, and I’m really happy to end the season with such a performance, but maybe it’s the chemistry of the hearts that appeals to me the most, and that’s how I want it to be ” “Mr. God” is recognisable. comments Arthur.
Between trips, the skateboarder was also actively involved in current events and events in Latvia. At the beginning of July, Artūrs, together with the local skateboarding media “RajonTV”, organized the third regional tour of Latvia, within the framework of which a group of more than 20 skateboarders went on a six-day tour of Zemgali. The team will present a retrospective of this trip on December 1 this year in the premises of the “Zefīrs” cafe – two videos will be presented and a new photo magazine will be published. After the Zemgale tour, the athlete participated in local competitions and won prize-winning places in the most intense summer events – Ventspils “Ghetto Games”, Cēsu “Dynamit Jam” and Valmiera “Urban Sports” Camp.
With the onset of more unfavorable weather conditions, Artūrs moves his training to the largest alternative and extreme sports center in Latvia “The Spot”. Hoping for successful financial conditions, Arthur is making plans for the upcoming competition in Tokyo. There are also high hopes for a repeated high position in the World Cup standings, which could provide an opportunity to continue skateboarding next year as actively as possible.
2023-10-20 16:40:37
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