3 May 2008, Shanghai – The 10th edition of the KIA X Games Asia finished with a big bang on the final day of competition as high-flying action, entertainment and musical performances drew large crowds yet again, registering a record number of 52,800 spectators during the four-day event at Shanghai’s KIC Jiangwan Sports Center. 

Today’s competition was enthusiastically received by the people of Shanghai, as Chinese spectators cheered in approval for the world-class field of athletes in today’s final of the Skateboard Park and  Aggressive In-Line Vert event. Many were awed by the new event, the Moto X Step Up today, and were enthralled by the daily Moto X demonstrations.
 
“It’s rewarding for us just to see the city of Shanghai and all the athletes enjoying themselves in the carnival atmosphere we created. We had youths coming out with their friends and families having a great time together their children throughout the day. We thank our title sponsor Kia, Yangpu District, SMG, our partners, the athletes and the people of Shanghai for making this a successful event, and we look forward to coming back next year to continue building this successful event,” he added.
 
Davis added that he strongly believed airing Asia’s biggest action sports competition live over ESPN, as well as on the domestic networks of SMG for three straight days has augmented the popularity of action sports across the region. 

Consistency was the name of the game in today’s Aggressive In-line Vert Finals, with Japan’s Takeshi Yasutoko retaining his 2007 title, while his brother Eito swapped last year’s silver medallist Shane Yost of Australia, putting them in 2nd and 3rd places, respectively.

Asked how he felt after the competition, Takeshi said, “I’m exhausted. Competing against an incredible skater like Shane Yost and against my older brother, I felt a lot of pressure.” The younger Yasutoko also mentioned that he loves the energy of China’s action sports fans: “In China, in-line skating is much more popular than in Japan. At home, no one really cheers for me as much as the Shanghai fans! But here in Shanghai, the enthusiasm of all these cheering fans is fantastic and I really feel the love from the crowd.” The competition also featured a strong performance from another Japanese talent, Ayumi Kawasaki, who made her mark as the only female skater to compete in the Finals.

American Dayne Brummet clinched the victory in the Skateboard Park Finals, with his compatriot Tyler Hendley winning the silver medal, and Australian skater Ben Bodnar winning bronze. Said Brummet, “Everytime I skate in a competition, my legs get all wobbly. I’ve done a million of these contests and I still get nervous and shaky. I feel like a squid out there! That’s why I look like I’m always about to fall off my skateboard. It probably makes some of the easier tricks I do look more difficult than they actually are.”

Brummet added that he was thrilled to be invited back to Shanghai for this year’s event. “This is a special year to be competing in China because of the upcoming Olympics. I travel to Asia two or three times each year, so I’m starting to feel at home here now. I always feel partial to the Asian skateboarding competitions.”

This year’s event showcased more than 150 of the best action sports athletes from more than 20 countries from five continents, such as Andy Macdonald, who defended his Skateboard Vert title; the Yasutoko brothers Eito and Takeshi Yasutoko, who have dominated aggressive in-line vert for the past nine Asian X Games; and the 2006 X Games BMX Vert champion Chad Kagy, who recaptured his gold medal from last year.

Action sports fans can catch repeats of the KIA X Games on ESPN Asia networks across Asia as well as SMG’s channels Dragon TV and G Sports. Kindly hit the TV Schedule link for programme schedules.