Ballito skaters bring the heat to O’Neill Ballito Bowl Skate Jam
Ballito’s Ezra Vosloo shines on home turf, taking two titles at the skate event.
The 2025 O’Neill Ballito Bowl Skate Jam delivered an electrifying showcase of South African skateboarding talent on Saturday.
Cape Town’s Thalente Biyela (31) and Ballito local Ezra Vosloo (14) claimed top honors in their respective divisions.
Two-time Olympian and four-time South African champion skater Brandan Valjalo (26) won Best Trick, while Vosloo won Best Grom Trick in front of a boisterous home crowd.
Ballito’s Kalvyn Mac Millan – a two-time Open champion – finished second.
Biyela, a Durban Beach Park original, made a name for himself in the Mother City, but he is still a home favourite.
“I really loved the atmosphere. Having all the locals showing support was so amazing. I spent many years here, so it feels like a second home,” he said.
Biyela, whose journey from street skater to professional athlete was captured in the award-winning documentary I Am Thalente, featuring Tony Hawk, was impressed with the level of competition and enjoyed skating against the girls.
“It was great seeing all the young new talent coming up. Seeing the progression from the past few events is absolutely mind-blowing.
“Competing alongside some of the younger girls just made it an all-around incredible experience. I’m so stoked to have been a part of it all. Looking forward to next year,” he added.
As well as winning the Groms U16 division and best trick, Vosloo finished third in the Open division.
“I’ve worked really hard for this, skating as much as I can. It has been a goal of mine for a while to be placed in the top three with all the legendary South African skaters,” he said.
Valjalo competed in the 2020 and 2024 Summer Olympics, the World Skate Championships and the World Cup Series. He won the African Championship title at Ultimate X in 2017, crediting his street skating ability for winning the trick competition.
“I incorporated one of the street obstacles into the bowl and came through with a kickflip manual, all the way around and dropped down 50 into the bowl for the first trick,” he said.
OSP Events Co. founder Markus Müseler said it was another great event.
“The skating was epic! The crowd was incredible and the vibe was amazing,” said Müseler.
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