Key Takeaways
- Augusto made history as the first Portuguese skater to compete in the park skateboarding event at the Olympics.
- He expressed his happiness with his Olympic debut performance and is focused on training for a potential podium finish at the Los Angeles 2028 Games.
- He will undergo shoulder surgery scheduled for two months from now.
Portuguese skater Thomas Augusto did not qualify for the park final at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on Wednesday (7th August 2024), ending up outside the top eight in his qualifying performance.
The 20-year-old rookie, Augusto, posted the highest score of 81.75 points at Praça da Concórdia but did not qualify for the final. He finished 13th with scores of 3.10 and 2.66 in his remaining runs.
He crashed at the beginning of his first attempt. Nevertheless, in his second run, he successfully performed a series of difficult moves to achieve a score of 81.75. Unfortunately, he fell again in his third run.
Competing in the third of four qualifying rounds, Thomas Augusto made history as the first Portuguese participant in the park skateboarding event at the Olympics.
Following his debut at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, he felt “very happy” with his performance in the park qualifications, having ridden “exactly what he wanted,” and looks forward to striving for the podium at Los Angeles 2028.
He expressed his fulfillment with his skateboarding performance, stating:
I walked what I wanted to walk. That’s all I had to do. I came here, I was just focused on hitting that first trick that I landed on the second lap and nothing else. And I got it right and I still finished the line. So, I’m happy, I’m very happy. And also very proud to have Portugal here on my chest
He expressed that achieving his Olympic dream has been a long-term goal, beginning when he first started skateboarding at four.
Post-performance, one Twitter user wrote:
I don’t believe that the Thomas August made a Back ollie 360° spin move with side-shift aerial backflip
While another user tweeted:
Thomas Augusto, you are amazing.
It’s cool to see you running and having fun, you walk a lot, kid!
Augusto’s Commitment To Skateboarding: No Holidays, Just Training
Hailing from San Diego and currently based in California, the athlete with Brazilian roots and a Portuguese grandfather opted to play for Portugal.
He arrived at Paris 2024 “with a plan, hoping that he would reach the final.”
After his final run at the Olympics, he remarked:
I thought that lap would get me into the final, but the skateboarding level is extremely high. My friends, who are competing alongside me, did really well. Their laps worked out, while mine didn’t this time. I’m sure I’ll nail it in Los Angeles.
At the end of the race, he stated that skateboarding “is totally mental” and explained that he needs to “train a lot” because, he notes, “if your head is not in the right place, you will not hit the maneuver.”
He put everything at stake with a maneuver he had trained extensively on, eight hours a day for a month. He said:
Number of times training that first maneuver? Millions, millions… I train eight hours a day and get to the park and start. This was the most important maneuver I needed to put on the line and I only had one month to learn, I spent eight hours a day training it.
After wrapping up his participation in these Olympic Games, Augusto is excited to begin his journey toward Los Angeles in 2028.
With this, Thomas expressed:
Now I will get home, I will be a day or two off and then is back to the skateboard. I can’t stop skating and I can’t wait to get home and go back to skateboarding, already thinking about LA. There is no holiday, I have four years to prepare because the level is very high and it has to be from everything to get to the top 3.
Prior to that, he will have shoulder surgery, which he’s dislocated “more than 275 times this year,” with the surgery set for two months from now. He aims to return “stronger” than before.
Augusto is actively working towards his career ambitions. He upholds a competitive edge, marked by his drive and reliability.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Thomas has triple citizenship, being a Brazilian, Portuguese, and USA national.
- He is 21st in the world ranking, and his stance is Goofy.
- His ethnic background appears to be a blend of Portuguese and Brazilian roots.
