With a high-energy and impressive run, Japan’s 15-years young Issei Sakurai secured first place in the Simple Session skateboarding qualifiers, earning 85 points. Among the Estonian competitors, Meelis Erm was the top performer, scoring 52.35 points, which placed him 32nd overall.
48 skaters battled for a spot in the finals
A total of 48 skateboarders from 19 different countries competed for a place in the finals, with only the top 15 advancing. The largest contingents came from the United States (17 skaters) and Japan (5 skaters), but the competition also featured riders from Malaysia, Chile, and Brazil. Estonia was represented by four skaters—Romario Siimer, Rain Lindemann, Jarmo Kangro, and Meelis Erm, who had previously made it to the Simple Session finals in both of the last two years.
Meelis Erm: “The Course is Massive”
27-year-old Meelis Erm, one of Estonia’s top-ranked skater, admitted that the competition course was challenging: “This year’s setup is insanely huge and quite difficult. The ramps are twice as big as in previous years when the event was held on smaller arenas.”
Erm emphasized that Simple Session is the only chance in Estonia to ride on such a big arena, making it difficult to practice for the extreme heights and speeds required.
“It’s tough competing alongside professionals. Even during warm-ups, there are long queues, and the pressure is always on to grab your turn,” said Erm. However, he remained confident, stating that he was not lacking courage.
Issei Sakurai impressed judges
Japan’s Issei Sakurai praised the Unibet Arena course, saying that it closely resembled outdoor ramps and skateparks in Japan, where he trains.
“It went exactly as I hoped. I landed what I planned, and now I’m looking forward to the finals,” said Sakurai.
Judge Pat Duffy: “A True All-Terrain Skatepark”
Judge Pat Duffy described this year’s competition setup as a true multi-park, reminiscent of the 90s era, where skateparks combined street elements with big air ramps.
“To master this course, you need to be skilled at both technical street tricks and high-flying aerials,” Duffy explained.
Sakurai’s creative and controlled run, featuring impressive tricks, earned him the highest qualification score. One of his standout moves was a 540, a rare and technical trick, seen only twice in today’s competition.
“It’s an uncommon trick, and Issei executed it flawlessly. His versatility really stood out compared to the other competitors,” Duffy added.
Top 3 Qualifiers & Finalists
1st – Issei Sakurai (JPN) – 85.00 points
2nd – Danny Leon (ESP) – 83.58 points (Tokyo & Paris Olympic competitor, multi-time Simple Session medalist)
3rd – Beaver Fleming (USA) – 83.50 points
A total of 15 world-class skateboarders will compete in the finals on Sunday, March 9.
The Simple Session 2025 skateboarding judges are Lauri Vassinen (FIN), Pat Duffy (USA) and Kristjan Prik (EST).
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Simple Session 2025 skate qualifiers full list
Issei Sakurai, JPN, 85.00
Danny Leon, ESP, 83.58
Beaver Fleming, USA, 83.50
Hampus Winberg, SWE, 83.16
Simon Gerber, SUI, 82.08
Yuro Nagahara, JPN, 80.41
Julian Agliardi, USA, 79.66
Viktor Solmunde, DEN, 77.50
Daniel Woolley, AUS, 76.33
Kristoffer Kroon, SWE, 76.00
Elias Nilsen, NOR, 75.50
Marcelo Jimenez, CHI, 74.91
Ivan Federico, ITA, 74.30
Diego Broest, NED, 74.16
Greyson Fletcher, USA, 72.53
The ranking of the remaining riders
Vincent Matheron, FRA, 72.00
Pedro Quintas, BRA, 71.00
David Loy, USA, 70.00
Robin Bolian, FRA, 69.41
Aaron Jaws Homoki, USA, 65.00
Luca Karhu, FIN, 63.50
Cody Lockwood, USA, 63.20
Stellio Sakellarides, FRA, 62.00
Jordan Thackeray, GBR, 61.50
Kairi Matsumoto, JPN, 60.16
Arturs Bogdanovics, LAT, 59.75
Jaime Mateu, ESP, 57.83
David Gravette, USA, 57.16
Jake Wooten, USA, 56.23
Ocean Brown, GBR, 55.16
Beau Brunclair, BEL, 54.41
Meelis Erm, EST, 52.35
Jerry Gurney, USA, 51.83
Rudolfs Rorbahs, LAT, 48.30
Jason Lijnzaat, NED, 47.50
Diego Fiorese, BRA, 46.50
Rokas Ignotas, LTU, 45.16
Tim Aguilar, USA, 42.25
Jarmo Kangro, EST, 30.50
Dylan Witkin, USA, 30.08
Arina Rahman, MAS, 28.08
Sampo Martimo, FIN, 20.41
Marius Syvanen, FIN, 20.25
Romario Siimer, EST, 19.16
Jimmy Larsen, USA, 15.00
Rain Lindemann, EST, 12.33