- 18-Year-Old Leal from Brazil Claims Victory in 2026 SLS World Tour Season Opener in Australia
- 17-Year-Old Liz Akama Earns 2nd Place in Elite Contest Event
- 16-Year-Old Julian Agliardi Claims 2nd Place in Men’s Division
- 25-Year-Old Giovanni Vianna Takes 3rd Place
SYDNEY, Feb. 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Starting the season with a huge win! Monster Energy congratulates team rider Rayssa Leal on taking first place in Women’s Skateboard Street at the SLS Sydney competition in Australia on Sunday. In the season-opening event presented by Street League Skateboarding (SLS), 18-year-old Leal from Imperatriz, Brazil, claimed a dominant win inside Ken Rosewall Arena.
Joining Leal on the podium was 17-year-old Liz Akama from Miyagi, Japan, who finished second, competing against the world’s elite. In the Men’s Skateboard Street competition, 16-year-old Julian Agliardi from Long Beach, California, rose all the way to second place. Rounding out a successful weekend for Team Monster Energy, 25-year-old Giovanni Vianna from Santo André, Brazil, claimed third place.
From February 14-15, the SLS Sydney competition brought the world’s best male and female street skaters to Australia for the first event of the 2026 SLS World Tour. This year’s full schedule will feature more stadium-sized competitions and SLS Spot Takeover contests at public locations. The first SLS Spot Takeover event is confirmed for Downtown Los Angeles on April 4, 2026, with additional competitions to be announced soon.
In the Women’s Skateboard Street final on the California Skateparks-designed course, Leal dropped in as the only four-time SLS Super Crown champion in history and clear podium favorite. But the competition was fierce, and Leal only qualified for the finals in third place. Could she continue her win streak?
In the Run section, Leal was off to a difficult start and missed the landing on several tricks, but still put down a backside tailslide the Hubba, backside Smith grind the flat rail, backside lipslide the double rail, nosegrind backside revert the bump ledge for 5.8 points.
When the action moved into the Single Trick section, Leal compensated for her Run score by landing several technical standouts, starting with frontside bluntslide the double rail for 8.2 points. Upping the ante, she finessed a kickflip frontside boardslide the double rail for 8.4 points. On her fourth attempt, Leal sealed her victory by finessing a stylish backside tailslide the double rail for 7.7 points and a winning score of 30.1 points.
“I’m feeling happy, I’m feeling amazing. I just want to say thank you to everyone. I don’t know what happened to me, I was super nervous about it,” said Monster Energy’s Leal upon winning the first stop of the 2026 SLS World Tour.
Leal faced strong competition from her Monster Energy teammate Akama. In the Run section, Akama put down a strong first attempt, landing backside Smith grind the big rail, frontside 360 ollie the bump, frontside bigspin the bump, switch 180 ollie the Euro Gap, frontside feeble grind the flat rail, frontside Smith grind the bump ledge, and frontside 180 50-50 grind the Hubba, for 6.9 points.
Maintaining her flow in the Single Trick section, Akama landed a clean frontside 180 nosegrind the Hubba for 7.0 points. She followed up with her signature Barley grind, a frontside 180 to switch Smith grind, down the Hubba for 7.2 points. As her final score, Akama landed a perfect frontside hurricane grind the double rail for 8.1 points. With a total of 29.2 points, Akama claimed second place at SLS Sydney.
The podium spots continued in the Men’s Skateboard Street final, as Agliardi clinched second place amid heavy competition. Starting his final on a powerful note, Agliardi joined the 9 Club with a perfect Run featuring frontside feeble the rainbow rail, kickflip crooked the bump ledge, kickflip frontside 50-50 the double rail, 360 kickflip the bump, frontside 180 heelflip the bump, switch ollie the Euro Gap, backside 180 nosegrind revert the Hubba, backside overcrook the flat rail, backside 360 ollie the Euro Gap, and Caballerial the big gap for 9.0 points.
In the Single Trick segment, Agliardi came through by landing a kickflip frontside bluntslide the double rail on his first attempt for 8.9 points. Keeping the technical tricks coming, Agliardi landed a bigspin frontside bluntslide the double rail for 8.6 points. For his second Nine Club score of the final, Agliardi put down frontside bluntslide kickflip fakie for 9.0 points on his last attempt of the down-to-the-wire final. A total score of 35.5 points earned the young rider second place and his very first podium finish at a SLS contest.
Rising to the podium in third place, former SLS Super Crown Champion Vianna opened his final with a strong run featuring half Cab backside 5-0 the rail, frontside tailslide the bump to Hubba, backside bluntslide the rainbow rail, nollie frontside noseslide fakie the bump ledge, Caballerial backside lipslide fakie the double rail, frontside feeble the flat rail, heelflip the Euro Gap, and Caballerial frontside noseslide fakie the Hubba for 8.7 points.
In the Single Trick section, Vianna put down a technical frontside Half Cab backside Smith grind the Hubba for 8.5 points. On his next attempt, Vianna unveiled a rare frontside Half Cab frontside nosegrind the Hubba ledge for 8.9 points. When the final came down to last attempts, the Brazilian landed Caballerial backside nosegrind the Hubba for 8.6 points to seal his podium spot. With a total score of 34.7 points, Vianna earned third place in the closely contested final at SLS Sydney.
Started by pro skateboarder Rob Dyrdek in 2010 with Monster Energy as a foundational sponsor, Street League Skateboarding (SLS) is the world’s leading competition series for authentic street skateboarding and the official world championship format of the sport.
For more on Rayssa Leal, Liz Akama, Julian Agliardi, Giovanni Vianna, and the Monster Energy skateboarding team, visit www.monsterenergy.com. Follow Monster Energy on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok for exclusive updates as the action sports season continues.
For interview or photo requests, contact Kim Dresser.
About Monster Energy
Based in Corona, California, Monster Energy is the leading marketer of energy drinks and alternative beverages. Refusing to acknowledge the traditional, Monster Energy supports the scene and sport. Whether motocross, off-road, NASCAR, MMA, BMX, surf, snowboard, ski, skateboard, or the rock and roll lifestyle, Monster Energy is a brand that believes in authenticity and the core of what its athletes and musicians represent. More than a drink, it’s the way of life lived by athletes, bands, believers, and fans. See more about Monster Energy including all of its drinks at www.monsterenergy.com.
CONTACT: Kim Dresser C: (949) 300-5546 E: kim.dresser@indiepragency.com
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