Akama Liz Leads at WST World Cup Kitakyushu
The WST World Cup Kitakyushu Street 2025, held in Japan on November 29, has culminated in an exciting showdown for the women’s final, featuring eight talented competitors. Top of the rankings is Akama Liz, who secured her place in the finals with a remarkable semi-final performance.
Akama, who earned a silver medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics, posted the highest run score in the semi-finals with a total of 66.76. She then built on that success with an impressive trick score of 80.48, culminating in a combined total of 147.24.
Trailing closely behind her is the 13-year-old sensation Matsumoto Ibuki, who finished second with a total score of 145.85 after leading in the quarter-finals. Oda Yumeka also made the final cut, registering a score of 143.00 and securing third place.
Onishi Nanami rounded out the finalists, finishing eighth overall with a score of 125.69. She narrowly edged out Japan’s Nishiya Momiji, the Tokyo 2020 champion, who scored 125.01.
Despite a challenging quarter-final round where she struggled with a score of just 48.67, Akama’s determination shone through in the semi-finals. Reflecting on her quarter-final experience, the 16-year-old stated, “In [the quarter-finals], I couldn’t make either of my runs and my score wasn’t that great. I thought I was cutting it too close.” However, she expressed confidence after her semi-final performance: “Today, I managed to nail both runs and made at least one trick so I’m pretty happy with how things turned out.”
Akama also noted that positive feelings during practice boosted her confidence: “I felt good from practice, the board felt good, which slowly but surely gave me confidence. I think things went pretty well for a semi-final but the final is the most important thing. I can’t let up just yet.”
Joining Akama in the final will be competitors from other countries: the Chinese duo of Cui Chenxi and Zhu Yuanling, Shin Jiyul from the Republic of Korea, and Australian Chloe Covell, who previously lifted the World Cup trophy in Rome this past June.
With such a promising line-up, the women’s final at the WST World Cup Kitakyushu is set to be a captivating event.
