Scores of skaters showed off their talent and skills in order to win R100,000 in prize money at the Thaba Nchu skate park on Saturday (8/2).

The Kimberley Diamond Cup world skateboarding championships first took place in 2013 and the event has been held in the Northern Cape capital since then.

“There have been a couple of milestones the programme has achieved along the way, we’ve had major international stars participating in the programme. I can mention American professional skateboarder Nyjah Huston,” said KDC programme manager Andile Mlamu.

“We’ve been able to produce athletes that have gone and participated in major world events that are related to skateboarding, in the province we have built four regional skate parks and in those skate parks we have appointed young people to run coaching clinics for aspiring skaters.”

When we had the Grand Slam in Kimberley last week Saturday we got to the skatepark and met a young man who travelled by bus from Mozambique and slept in the skate park’s toilets.

“When we asked him how he was going to get back, he said he’s going to win the Kimberley Grand Slam and go back with the prize money.”

Noel Skate Cossa from Mozambique won R15,000 as a first prize in the Bloemfontein grand slam that took place in Thaba Nchu on Saturday (8/2).

The Grand Slam has six preliminary events leading up to the grand finale that will be held in Kimberley on Friday, 21 March and a concert on Saturday, 22 March. The Grand Slams have attracted over 500 skateboarders from across the country.

Many skateboarders from Bloemfontein attended it in Thaba Nchu and complained about the lack of a skate park in the city itself. “I have been skating for four years and I’m used to skating in the streets because we don’t have a skate park in Bloemfontein so this is a nice feeling and experience,” said Mbulelo Skotha from Lourier Park.

“I have been skating for eleven years now and I love skateboarding it is the best thing that has ever happened in my life, and this event totally exceeded my expectations and now I hope that they can go bigger and better,” said Dillon Johnson from Bloemfontein.

Skateboarders came out in numbers at the skate park in Thaba Nchu. Photo: Zenande Mpame

The KDC will be going to Durban on Friday (15/2) and on Saturday, 1 March to Cape Town for the rest of the Grand Slam events.

OFM News/Zenande Mpame dg