Brandon Valjalo (born 11 July 1998) is a South African professional skateboarder who competed in the men's street event at the 2020 Summer Olympics. He also competed at the men’s street event in Paris. Valjalo is pioneering African Skateboarding by Hosting events and workshops around Africa including Egypt, Kenya and South Africa to name a few countries.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 11 July 1998 Johannesburg, South Africa |
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) |
| Weight | 72.5 kg (160 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Country |  South Africa |
| Sport | Skateboarding |
| Event | Street |
| Turned pro | 2018 |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Olympic finals | 18th Place Tokyo & 12th Place Paris 24’ |
| World finals | 45th place |
| National finals | 4x South African Champion (2014,2015,2016,2021,2024) |
| Highest world ranking | 1st National Skate Association Ranking; 5th on Fise World Pro Series; 11th World Cup ranking; 33rd World Skate ranking |
| Personal best(s) | 1st Youth World Championships (2014); 1st Continental Championships (2017); 1st National Championships (2021); 18th Olympic Games (2021); 1st National Championships (2024); 12th Olympic Games (2024) |
Career
editBorn and raised in Johannesburg,[1] Valjalo first stood on a skateboard at the age of three when he found his brother's old board.[2] He initially began skating as a hobby, but he started winning competitions around the age of nine and began to focus on it after that.[3] He drew inspiration from watching Ryan Sheckler on the television show Life of Ryan.[4] He would often have to take long drives around the city to find safe spots to practice.[2]
Valjalo made his debut on the local professional scene in 2013,[2] and then won the South African as well as the world youth championship title at the 2014 Kimberley Diamond Cup.[1] He successfully defended his South African title in 2015 before the Kimberley Diamond Cup was discontinued.[5][6] Valjalo finished first at the 2017 Ultimate X festival to become the African skateboarding champion,[7] and he joined the World Cup of Skateboarding tour later that year.[8] He also competed at the World Skateboarding Championship in 2019 and 2021, finishing in 45th and 69th place, respectively.[8]
Valjalo qualified for the men's street competition at the 2020 Summer Olympics, earning his spot as number 45 in the World, which made him the number one ranked skater in Africa despite his overall world ranking.[9] At the Tokyo Games, he made history as South Africa's first-ever Olympic skateboarder.[10] Despite breaking his wrist a few days before the preliminary heats, he competed with his arm in a plaster cast and finished 18th overall.[10]
References
edit- ^ a b Ratsie, Ofentse (9 July 2021). "As skateboarding makes Olympic debut‚ SA's Brandon Valjalo books his spot". The Sowetan. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
- ^ a b c "South Africa's skateboarding star, Brandon Valjalo, sets sights on Olympics". Gulf Today. 29 April 2021. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
- ^ Kirk, Robyn (25 February 2020). "Kyalami resident Brando Valjalo is a master on a skateboard". Fourways Review. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
- ^ "Brandon Valjalo Talk About His Skate Life". Africa Skateboarding Diary. 3 March 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
- ^ "KDC – South African Street Championships 2015 Recap". African Skate Project. 10 October 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
- ^ Swart, Murray (17 May 2017). "Province faces R400m bill for canceled skate event". Independent Online. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
- ^ Kuschke, Jazz (8 July 2021). "Brandon Valjalo Set to Represent Team South Africa at the Olympics!". Good Things Guy. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
- ^ a b "Brandon Valjalo". Tokyo 2020. Archived from the original on 26 July 2021. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
- ^ "The List of Future Olympic Skateboarders is Official!!!". World Skate. 9 June 2021. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
- ^ a b "SA skater Brandon Valjalo tried his best with broken wrist: 'I'll work harder for the next one'". News24. 25 July 2021. Retrieved 26 July 2021.