Spain's Pablo Soler Cabañero won the men's inline downhill time-trial world title at the 5th World Skate Games in Asunción on Saturday, delivering his country its first gold of the competition two years after a bittersweet bronze in Italy.
Gold on the hill that opened the Games
The race unfolded on Cerro Lambaré, the iconic lookout point near the Paraguayan capital. Inline downhill time trial was the very first discipline to crown champions at ASU2026, and Soler seized the moment ahead of Italian Daniele Vecchi, who took silver, and Colombian Juan Agudelo Sánchez, who claimed bronze.
From a collision in Italy to a clean run in Paraguay
At the previous World Skate Games in Tortoreto, Italy, in 2024, Soler stood on the podium with bronze in the mass-start event. That race unravelled at the halfway mark when he tangled with Colombia's José Mejía, allowing Italy's Renato Pennuti to break clear for gold.
In Asunción there was no pack, no mid-course collision, no rival to exploit a mistake. The time-trial format placed the outcome entirely in Soler's hands, and the result moved his career arc decisively upward.
Spain arrived in Paraguay as a favourite, carrying a delegation of 143 athletes and 41 coaches after finishing third on the medal table in Italy with 19 golds. Soler made sure the count began early. The World Skate Games gather over 8,000 athletes from 91 nations, and the inline downhill podiums were the opening statement of an event that runs through mid-October.
