Monster Energy congratulates team rider Daiki Ikeda on taking first place in the 2022 Damn Am street skateboarding competition at The Berrics skatepark in Los Angeles, California
LOS ANGELES, June 15, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — What an epic contest! Monster Energy congratulates team rider Daiki Ikeda on taking first place in the 2022 Damn Am street skateboarding competition at The Berrics skatepark in Los Angeles, California. In the world’s premier competition showcase for upcoming amateur riders, the 16-year-old from Tokyo, Japan, rose all the way to the top in a heated final.
Monster Army is an exclusive sponsor of the Damn Am Series. From June 10-12, 2022, Damn Am Los Angeles provided a showcase for the world’s best amateur street skateboarders. Contested at iconic skatepark, The Berrics, the competition attracted riders from across the globe as part of a series also including tour stops in Barcelona, Japan, and New York City.
Recognized as the world’s leading amateur skateboard contest series, Damn Am was established by Skatepark of Tampa (SPoT) in 2001. Now in its 20th year, the Damn Am series took the experience of Tampa Am – still serving as the official qualifier into the annual contest at SPoT – to skateboarders and audiences across the globe. Over 5,000 skateboarders have participated in the series to date, including Monster Energy’s Nyjah Huston, and Ishod Wair in their early days as young upcoming amateurs.
For the first Damn Am 2022 tour stop at The Berrics, the roster included 97 am skaters battling it out in an intense qualifier session on Saturday. Holding his own with technical tricks and consistency, Ikeda advanced to Sunday’s semi-finals in fourth place. Leaving a big impression on judges and crowd, Ikeda secured his spot in the final twelve by placing first in the semis with a flawless run.
Once the action moved into the finals, the level of difficulty escalated through the roof, driven by a strong Japanese contingent. Fun fact: Six of the twelve riders in the final hailed from Japan. Ikeda kept raising the bar by digging deep into his technical bag of tricks. In his highest-scoring run, he landed a big flip frontside boardslide the big rail, hardflip off the pyramid hip across the rail, kickflip frontside bluntslide the A-frame, sugarcane grind the A-frame, and backside 270 kickflip to lipslide the big rail for the win.
In reward for winning Damn Am Los Angeles 2022, Ikeda received $500 towards Tampa Am travel and a Straight Shot to the semi-finals at Tampa Am 2022. This kid is literally going places!
Ikeda first turned heads at the mere age of 13 when he first came to the U.S. and won the gold medal in the Junior Street Division at X Games Minneapolis 2019. Supported by the Monster Army program, he garnered an invite to Thrasher Magazine’s AM Scramble trip and became a viral video sensation with his 2021 part for The Berrics website. Now a full-fledged Monster Energy rider, the young rookie is just getting started – and the win at Damn Am 2022 is living proof.
For more on Daiki Ikeda and the Monster Energy skateboarding team visit http://www.monsterenergy.com. Also follow Monster Energy on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.
About Monster Energy
Based in Corona, California, Monster Energy is the leading marketer of energy drinks and alternative beverages. Refusing to acknowledge the traditional, Monster Energy supports the scene and sport. Whether motocross, off-road, NASCAR, MMA, BMX, surf, snowboard, ski, skateboard, or the rock and roll lifestyle, Monster Energy is a brand that believes in authenticity and the core of what its sports, athletes and musicians represent. More than a drink, it’s the way of life lived by athletes, sports, bands, believers, and fans. See more about Monster Energy including all of its drinks at http://www.monsterenergy.com.
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SOURCE Monster Energy
