IN-LINE SKATE VERT. Fans in Shanghai were treated to a feast of world-class action, witnessing two of the biggest names in action sports successfully defend their titles at the KIA X Games Asia 2011 when Aggressive Inline Vert Champion Takeshi Yasutoko and Skateboard mini-MegaRampTM winner Pierre-Luc Gagnon took home gold medals for their events.

01 May 2011, Shanghai, China-Jiangwan Stadium, Aggressive In-line Vert Finals, Takeshi Yasutoko (JPN), Photo: Charlie Xia/ESPN

Aggressive In-line Vert Finals

In a competition that featured the world's best In-line skaters, it was Takeshi Yasutoko who dominated the final to win his fourth KIA X Games Asia gold medal. After securing two solid runs and providing himself a comfortable lead over the other riders, Yasutoko gave his fans a treat by unveiling a new trick - an alley-oop double-flatspin 720 - that he dubbed the " P Seven-seven?.<>

Yasutoko's solid performance undoubtedly defined his victory, finishing with a score of 85.00, leaving the rest of the field to compete for silver. In a close race for second place, England's Rich Parker and Japan's Yusuke Aihara won silver and bronze respectively with a score of 71.00 after a tie-breaker.

Japan native Yasutoko dedicated the win to his fellow countrymen and his fans whom came out to support him. Yasutoko wore a shirt emblazoned with the words 'I believe Japan will rise again' and the Kobe-native gave an emotional message to his countrymen.

"My friends and family are safe, but Japan is still in chaos. I want to do something for them, so I want to send this message on my T-Shirt to the world to remind them of Japan, and keep us in their hearts", he said.

Skateboard mini-Mega Ramp Finals

In only its second year at KIA X Games Asia, the Skateboard mini-Mega Ramp competition remains one of the most exciting and popular events in Shanghai. The final round was stacked with multiple X Games gold medalists Jake Brown, Andy Macdonald, Sandro Dias, Pierre-Luc Gagnon and Bob Burnquist.

Throughout the final, every rider continued to raise the level of competition, but the real race was between Burnquist and Gagnon. After Burnquist posted a score of 94.00 to take the lead late in the final, Gagnon stepped it up on his final run with a Kickflip Mute Grab over the gap and finishing strong with a Fakie 720 on the quarterpipe.Gagnon defended his title with a score of 95.00.

"Walking up those steps right before my last run was the most difficult thing ever," said Gagnon. "I knew the contest was on the line, and I had to try something different, something that was me. It was really awesome how close this contest was with the lead changing so many times, but that just makes the victory sweeter."

Skateboard mega ramp pioneer Bob Burnquist and the youngest rider in the final Adam Taylor rounded out the podium winning silver and bronze, respectively.

BMX Street Finals

The Americans swept the podium in Shanghai in the BMX Final, led by Jeremiah Smith who credited a good streak of luck after changing his bike to win the gold medal today. Smith's consistency in the final proved to be the difference, as he beat a hard-riding Brian Kachinsky and Dakota Roche to complete an American sweep of the podium.

Smith's bar-manual double-peg no-footed-can-can lit up the KIC Jiangwan stadium during his final run. Kachinsky finished with a score of 68.00 for the silver medal and Dakota Roche earned bronze with a 65.00.

ESPN
May 01, 2011

AIL Vert FINAL RESULTS
Ranking Country Athlete Score
1 JPN Takeshi Yasutoko 85.00
2 GBR Rich Parker 71.00
3 JPN Yusuke Aihara 71.00
4 BRA Cesar Andrade 67.00
5 Anthony Avella 67.00
6 BUL Nikolaj Najdenov 60.00
7 JPN Tomohiko Nakamura 57.00
8 RUS Leonid Kamburov 50.00
9 BUL Pavel Mitrenga 50.00

About KIA X Games Asia
KIA X Games Asia returns to Shanghai, China, for the fifth consecutive year April 29 - May 2. After its success in 2010, KIA X Games Asia will feature the Skateboard and BMX disciplines of mini-MegaRampTM for the second year. Several of the biggest names and most decorated athletes in X Games history have been confirmed to compete at the 13thTM gold medalist Vince Byron. annual event: seven-time gold medalist Bob Burnquist, two-time gold medalist Jake Brown, seven-time gold medalist Pierre-Luc Gagnon, three-time gold medalist Chad Kagy, four-time medalist Steve McCann and defending mini-MegaRamp.
Showcasing nearly 200 athletes from more than 30 countries, fans will see world-class competition in the sports of Skateboard, BMX and Aggressive In-Line Skate, as well as Moto X Big Air demonstrations.  The event will be televised live from Shanghai's KIC Jiangwan Sports Center on Great Sports in Shanghai and across Asia on ESPN STAR Sports.