On Saturday, Mariah Duran won a gold medal on a skateboard street course at the X Games, becoming the first woman to do it under the retractable roof at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Skater from Albuquerque, New Mexico, had a winning run that day, but she had been setting the stage for it all day.
Last year in the X Games, Duran placed 10th due to his nervousness getting the best of him. After that she began meditating regularly.
Taking a half an hour each morning to reflect on her good fortune has paid dividends for Duran, who has watched her list of blessings grow like the impressive series of tricks that helped her win her largest match to date.
Mariah Duran Gold Medalist Skateboarder
The 21-year-old won the title in Women’s Skateboard Street with a second-run score of 87.66. She beat the defending champion, Aori Nishimura, who was making just her second appearance since injuring her left ACL last fall. Runner-up Alexis Sablone scored 84.000 points, while Nishimura’s silver medal total was 86,000.
Duran, who won silver at the 2016 X Games, said, “I take an hour in the beginning of the day, just for myself.” I hang up and reflect on my current situation and future possibilities.
Quite humbling, in other words. You learn to appreciate your possessions on a whole new level. It’s been useful to remind myself to relax and take pleasure in the process.
Duran learned to skate with her boys at the skate parks and drainage ditches of Albuquerque, and she still goes there to this day to practise new stunts. She competes frequently, but also makes time to perform in movies and further the cause of women’s equality in figure skating.
On Saturday, eight skateboarders competed on a circuit full of rails, ledges, steps, ramps, and flats to show off their finest tricks. They were each given three at-bats, with just their highest total being used.
Duran’s initial run was a little shaky, but after she found her centre, she went off. On her second try, she performed a series of impressive flips and spins that set the bar extremely high.
The Time She Spent Waiting was Nearly as Nerve-Wracking as the Race.
As long as you have faith in your skating, she assured me, “the anxieties never go gone totally.” During my second run, I learned to regulate my breathing and give my full attention to each trick.
Given the quality of the competition, I felt confident that anything might happen. I was anxious, but I tried to keep a good attitude.
Nishimura, who turned 16 in January, underwent knee surgery in October and spent the winter months in California recovering. She returned to the Dew Tour in June and was the first-run leader on Saturday with an 85.00.
She then scored an 86.00 by executing difficult stunts with grace and poise. Nishimura, the last skater to go, tried to outdo Duran by taking a more challenging approach on her final run, but she fell off the board multiple times.
“I came here with high aspirations,” she remarked. I think I did really well for it being only my second competition ever.