Record-breaking Street Lines competition held
Boipelo Awuah’s technical mastery earned her a fifth Street Lines victory, remaining undefeated.
The 2025 Street Lines Skate Tournament transformed Pretoria’s legendary Thrashers Skatepark into the epicentre of African skateboarding on September 27, with over 80 of the continent’s top athletes competing across the Junior, Women’s, and Men’s divisions.
Presented by LW Mag and Dragon Energy Drink, in association with Converse Cons, Garmin, Monster Products, Dickies, and Insta360, the event delivered an action-packed showcase of style, skill, and athleticism.
Fans witnessed Kimberley’s Boipelo Awuah cement her dominance with a record-breaking fifth consecutive win in the Women’s division, while Cape Town’s Marci Rodrigues claimed his first-ever Street Lines podium with an overall victory in the Men’s division.
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Street Lines has cemented its reputation as one of South Africa’s premier skateboarding contests, raising the bar year after year, and 2025 was no exception.
Skaters battled it out in the qualifying rounds, pushing their limits to secure a spot in the finals and compete for a share of the R60 000 prize purse and Garmin Instinct 3 Smartwatches.
During the qualifying rounds, each skater had two 45-second runs, with their best run counting toward the leaderboard. The finals intensified the competition, combining two 45-second runs with four Best Trick attempts, with a skater’s highest-scoring run and top two tricks determining the overall score.
Judges assessed consistency, difficulty, style, and use-of-park to narrow the field to 8 Women and 16 Men who advanced to the finals.
This year saw the introduction of the Junior Division, providing young up-and-coming skaters the opportunity to experience a professionally run contest. Sereno Khunyani emerged victorious, followed by Omphile Mashila in second place and Ayanda Ndlovu in third.
The Women’s Division featured its largest entry to date, with 23 skaters competing in the closest and most competitive battle in the division’s history.
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The contest highlighted the rapid growth of women’s skateboarding in South Africa, as athletes pushed their skills and style to new heights.
A close battle for third place saw Johannesburg’s Ashley Gindre competing against Cape Town’s Sofia Neubold. Gindre showcased advanced tricks including a Mellon Grab over the fun box, Boardslide to Fakie, 180 Transfer Mellon Grab, and a Mellon Early Grab.
Neubold, making her Street Lines debut, impressed the judges with a big Ollie on the fun box, Fakie 360 Cab on the pyramid hip, Backside Boardslide to Fakie on the ground rail, Backside 180 on the pyramid hip, and Fakie Boardslide on the slappy, edging out Gindre for third place.
Thabiso Mashiyakgomo from Johannesburg delivered her best performance to date, securing second place with a Backside Boardslide on the A-Frame rail, Backside Boardslide to Fakie, Frontside Boardslide on the ground rail, 50-50 on the box, and a big 180 Ollie on the quarter pipe.
Boipelo Awuah’s technical mastery earned her a fifth Street Lines victory, remaining undefeated.
Her standout tricks included a Boardslide on the pyramid down rail, Noseslide on the floor box, Switch Boardslide on the ground rail, Switch Backside Boardslide on the A-Frame rail, and a Backside Feeble on the A-Frame rail.
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The Men’s Division proved the most hotly contested, with 16 qualified skaters pushing their limits. Cape Town competitors swept the podium.
Ethan Cairns claimed third place with a trick list including a Noseblunt on the pyramid rail, Backside Lipslide on the pyramid down rail, 50 Grind, Backside Smith, 270 Lipslide on the A-Frame rail, Hurricane on the pyramid down rail, and a transfer over the pyramid to Lipslide down the flatbar rail.
Ashton Banwell took second with a run including a Backside Lipslide on the pyramid down rail, Fakie 360 over the pyramid hip, Backside 50-50 and Backside Bluntslide on the ground rail, 180 Nosegrind and Tailslide Flip out to fakie on the floor box, Bluntslide on the hubba rail, and a Frontside 180 Nosegrind on the hubba box.
Marci Rodrigues secured his first-ever Street Lines victory with a standout performance featuring a Kickflip Backside Lipslide on the pyramid flatbar, Backside Flip over the pyramid, Kickflip Backside Tailslide on the pyramid flatbar, and a Kickflip Frontside Bluntslide on the A-Frame rail.
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The day concluded with the Insta360 Best Trick contest, featuring a jam session down the stair-set with rails and hubbas. Brian Hartlell attempted a Hardflip to Lateflip, while Ashton Banwell landed a Fakie Half Cab Nosegrind Bigspin Heelflip Out to take the win and the Insta360 X4 360º action camera.
“Street Lines 2025 has once again proven why it’s the premier skateboarding event in South Africa,” said organiser Ryan van der Spuy.
“We witnessed incredible talent across all divisions, from juniors making their mark to seasoned pros pushing the limits.
Seeing athletes like Boipelo Awuah remain undefeated and Marci Rodrigues claim his first win is inspiring and a testament to the growth of skateboarding in our country.
We’re proud to provide a platform for both emerging and established skaters to showcase their passion and elevate South African skateboarding to the next level.”
