Sanchez Wins Skateboard Vert World Title with 274.46

JD Sanchez won the men’s skateboard vert world title at the 2026 World Skate Games in Asunción, Paraguay, with a score of 274.46 points. He finished clear of Brazil’s Gui Khury in silver and Australia’s Hudson Walker in bronze.

A crown before the palace

The final unfolded with the Palacio de López, the seat of Paraguay’s government, as its backdrop.

The depth of the field was underlined by Spain’s 15-year-old Egoitz Bijueska, the world park rankings leader, who finished fourth.

From Pleasanton to the podium

The world title reshapes a career already decorated with X Games hardware. Sanchez took vert silver at X Games Osaka 2025, then added a second silver and a Vert Best Trick bronze at Salt Lake City later that year. An X Games Sacramento silver in 2026 confirmed his steady rise before Asunción delivered the breakthrough.

Born in Hawaii and raised in Pleasanton, California, he began skating at age six and won his first contest at seven. He landed his first 900 in 2024, the same season he finished fourth in vert as an X Games rookie in Chiba. Earlier results included a win at the 2023 Tony Hawk Vert Alert and a top‑ten finish at the World Championships in Rome.

A stage built for Los Angeles

The Asunción event gathered more than 8,000 athletes from 91 countries under the ASU26 banner, spanning 11 disciplines and 40 skating‑linked contests. Organisers framed the Games as a stepping stone toward the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

For Sanchez, the night in Paraguay turned a collection of near‑misses into a world champion’s jersey.