Skateboarding-Brazilian women take one-two finish in street final
SAO PAULO, Sept 20 (Reuters) - Brazilian skateboarders finished one-two in the 女性（の） 部類 of the Street League World 選手権s on Sunday, a result that moved them closer to a place at Tokyo 2020 and 確認するd Brazil´s eminence in one of the newest Olympic events.
The 勝利 （機の）カム in 前線 of a sell-out （人が）群がる of 8,000 in Sao Paulo, the home of Brazilian skateboarding and in particular the street discipline, one of two, along with park, that will be 含むd in the Olympics for the first time next year.
Street skating is about flipping and riding boards up and 負かす／撃墜する handrails and is 支配するd by Brazilian 競技者s, 特に in the women´s event where the 最高の，を越す three in the world are all from the South American nation.
Pamela Rosa and 11-year old Rayssa Leal finished first and second on Sunday and the 最高位の points mean they almost 安全な・保証するd a place in Tokyo.
"I am so excited about 存在 in the オリンピック," Leal said. "It´s not やめる 保証（人）d yet but I 推定する／予想する to be there."
In the men´s event, the 部隊d 明言する／公表するs´ Nyjah Huston won his third 連続した world 選手権. Brazilian Kelvin Hoefler finished in fourth.
Brazil´s rise to the 最高の，を越す of street skating is, スケートをする人s and 専門家s said, 類似の to their dominance in football.
Just as Brazilians have a famed ability to dribble a ball, they have an elasticity and balance that is 決定的な when riding a board. With a 抱擁する 全住民 of more than 200 million there is no 不足 of competitors.
Beginners need only the most basic 器具／備品 - a cheap board - and with 固める／コンクリート, 障壁s and 障害s all commonplace in sprawling Sao Paulo, they can learn anywhere.
"You don´t need to be a member of a club or have a rich dad. You go outside and look for 障害s, there are rails and steps all over," Pedro Rego Monteiro, (n)役員／(a)執行力のある director of 影響 Sport, the organiser of the 週末 event, told Reuters.
"In a country like ours whe re people don´t have much 接近 to 冒険的な 組織／基盤／下部構造. This is a sport you can do without much planning. You´re also a member of a tribe, and in sport it´s important to be part of something."
WORLD POWER
Globalisation and Brazil´s 出現 in the 早期に part of the century as a world 力／強力にする have also played a 役割 in the sport´s 開発 here, said one former プロの／賛成の.
As the economy opened up and the middle class grew, it became easier for brands to 輸入する into Brazil and for スケートをする人s to travel abroad and compete.
"Brazil always had a 抱擁する skate scene. Skateboarding was ひどく 影響（力）d by surf and Brazil had surfing," said former Swedish プロの／賛成の Tobias Makinen.
"When I moved to Brazil there weren´t many Brazilians going to the U.S. and Europe because it was hard to get a ビザ. But it opened up a lot."
The sport has continued to grow and the 最高の，を越す Brazilian スケートをする人s are now 井戸／弁護士席 known, with big 後援 取引，協定s and social マスコミ に引き続いてs.
With 2.5 million 信奉者s on Instagram and her own TV show, Leticia Bufoni is one of skateboarding's best-known 直面するs and 団体／死体s, having featured in the 2015 版 of ESPN Magazine's 団体／死体 問題／発行する.
However, Bufoni told Reuters that international success of the Brazilians is 負かす／撃墜する more to their own hard work rather than 公式の／役人 支援.
Almost all the 最高の，を越す Brazilian スケートをする人s now live overseas, many of them in Los Angeles, where they have better 施設s and are closer to major events and sponsors.
"I think it is much harder for the スケートをする人s that stay in Brazil to make a 指名する for themselves," said Bufoni, who has lived in California since she was 14. "You have to go to the U.S. to be successful."
Skateboarding´s 傾向 as an Olympic sport may yet change that. The 決定／判定勝ち（する） 誘発するd more 投資 and 利益／興味 in South America, with the Brazilian Skate 連合 last year creating a 回路・連盟 of events and a 国家の team.
"Today it has changed a lot, there are a lot of areas to practice but we need more and better training centres, and indoor 施設s, and also we need more events," Bufoni said.
"The Olympics definitely 供給するs more 適切な時期s and visibility, and that means more 後援 and more fans."
"I have 絶対 no 疑問 Brazil will 勝利，勝つ メダルs in Tokyo." (報告（する）／憶測ing by Andrew Downie; Editing by Ken Ferris)
