Ayumu Hirano, a snowboarder who soared to silver in the halfpipe event at two successive Winter Olympic Games, is set to represent Japan in the new men's skateboarding competition at the Tokyo Olympics after clinching a spot at the Dew Tour qualifying event in Des Moines, Iowa, on Friday.
The event was the 22-year-old's last chance to earn the world ranking points needed to secure his berth on the inaugural skateboard team at the Olympics. Despite a lukewarm performance in the park event qualifying round, Hirano managed to stay atop the Japanese rankings and secure the spot allotted to Japan as the Games' host nation.
Already a two-time silver medalist in the snowboard halfpipe event at the 2014 Sochi and 2006 Pyeongchang Games, Hirano aims to win a medal as a double-threat Olympian. After competing at the Tokyo Summer Games, he hopes to hop back on the snowboard at the Beijing Winter Games next year.
The short list of Japanese athletes who have participated in both the Summer and Winter Olympics includes Seiko Hashimoto, president of the Tokyo Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, who competed for Japan in cycling and speed skating.
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