Published on May 30, 2005

[X GAMES] The sound of hip hop and alternative rock music faded away at the Jamsil Stadium yesterday as the 2005 Asian X Games came to a finish, and the Thai squad will return home today with one bronze medal.

Thousands of young fans in loose outfits thronged into the venue yesterday. Some carried their own equipment and sharpened their skills nearby as the competition wound down.

Apart from the exciting contests on the final day, fans were also treated to a taekwondo demonstration by school students and a teenage rock band performed.

In the wakeboard competition at Han River Park 30 minutes away, Bunyalon Jumruang won the only medal for Thailand. His fine performance saw him finish third behind Australians Josh Sanders and Dean Smith, the gold and silver medallists.

Back at the stadium, Thai champion Weerayut Eksirissuwan was nowhere near the form which propelled him to second place in the preliminary skateboard park event.

Two erratic runs plummeted him to sixth place in the final, while compatriot Jirawat Pao-In finished second.

“I was nervous and erratic. The cramps I had on Saturday affected my form today,’’ said the 22-year-old Thailand X Games Cup winner.

American pro Chris Senn made skateboarding look easy as he gracefully drifted from one course to another to win the gold medal with 85 points. Japan’s Daisuke Mochizuki and Australian Shane Wallace came second and third with 93.67 and 79.67 points.

“I came here not thinking about winning. I just wanted to have fun with my friends,’’ said Senn, the father of two children, who said surfing a lot was the key to his dynamic performance.

Senn, in his early 30, was the clear favourite after his first run, which was too hard an act to follow. After finishing the X Games in style, there was one more thing he needed to do.

“I haven’t got any souvenirs for my kids yet, but I’ll think I’ll get them surfboards,’’ said Senn, who is on his first trip to the South Korean capital.

The highlight of the day was the inline skate vert final, which intrigued a big crowd. As competitors strutted their stuff and did dazzling tricks and jumped high in the air, the audience was glued to their seats.

Marco Di Santi, the leader in the prelim, fell to the ground in his first run but bounced right back in the second to claim the gold. Veteran Taig Khris of France was second, while Dutchman Sven Boekhorst took the bronze, his second medal after winning the inline skate park silver.

Japan’s Ayumi Kawasaki, the sole female competing against the men, proved she had the skills, but it was not enough to convince the judges who gave her fifth place.

In the men’s bouldering, Japan’s Keita Mogaki and South Korea’s Son Sang-won and Kim Ja-ha finished in the top three. Australian Samantha Berry won the women’s event followed by Japan’s Tomoko Ogawa and Yukiko Togawa.

Lerpong Amsa-ngiam

The Nation

Seoul

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