Skateboarding: Battle for Olympic spots heating up among Japanese

Earning an Olympic berth is never easy task, even for reigning world street skateboarding champions, especially if they are Japanese and must fend off a long list of talented youngsters for one of just three possible spots."The level of Japanese skateboarders is high and the real battle begins here," reigning world champion Sora Shirai said Friday in Suita, Osaka Prefecture.Twenty street skateboarders will compete in both the men's and women's fields at the Paris Olympics this summer. The Olympic spots will be chosen from among 44 athletes competing in each field in the final qualifiers, in…READ FULL ARTICLE