Chinese skater Li Yujuan makes Olympic Qualifying Series for Paris 2024

21-year-old Li Yujuan of China finished in the 17th place out of 188 participants at World Skateboarding Tour: Dubai Park 2024 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), on Sunday, advancing to the Olympic Qualifying Series for the Paris Olympic Games this year.

Li was rated 48.13, 66.14 and 14.33 points in the first, second and third runs respectively. This tournament was the last chance for skaters to earn points for their Olympic World Skate Ranking. The top 44 athletes of both genders can make the two-part Olympic Qualifying Series that will take place in east China's Shanghai Municipality between May 16 and 19, and in Hungary's capital, Budapest from June 20 to 23.

Li's performance set the best record for all Chinese skaters in all Olympic qualifying points contests for Paris 2024. She was the women's park silver medalist at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province in 2023. She also came in 31st at the Rome Park World Championships in the same year.

Dubai will be hosting the street event of the World Skateboarding Tour from March 3 to 10. More Chinese skaters, including Zeng Wenhui, Cui Chenxi, Zhang Jie, Pan Jiajie and Guo Jiahui, will compete in the event and try to become one of the top 44 athletes out of the 200 participants in total that will appear in Shanghai and Budapest for the next round of Olympic qualifying competitions.

Skateboarding became an Olympic sport for the first time in Tokyo in 2021. There were the street and the park events in both the men's and the women's groups. Japan won three gold, one silver and one bronze medals at the Olympic Games at home. Zeng and Zhang Xi competed in Tokyo on behalf of China. Zhang finished in the 15th place in the women's park event. Zeng came in 15th in the women's street group.