Shanghai hosts inaugural X Games China event

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The inaugural X Games China summer event rolls into Shanghai this weekend.

Held on June 1-2 at the Shanghai International Tourism and Resort Zone, spectators will be treated to skateboard, BMX and Moto X events such as Big Air and Best Trick.

ESPN and Chinese action sports company REnextop Entertainment linked up for the competition, the first of its kind in China. ESPN channels as well as Chinese online platforms will broadcast the events live.

Gao Qunxiang was the only Chinese to qualify for the knockout round of the men's skateboard Street event. However, the 16-year-old is unfazed by the challenge ahead.

Chinese skateboarder Gao Qunxiang, Shanghai, May 31, 2019. /CGTN Photo

"The skateboard that I normally used was broken during practice, and I had to change to a new one just before my turn," Gao told CGTN. "When the starting whistle blew, I had just finished tightening the last screw of the new skateboard."

Gao still advanced to the next and isn't feeling any jitters approaching the next stage. "I don't feel very nervous at that moment. I just want to do my best in this event."

Famous X Games athletes, such as Jagger Eaton, Rob Adelberg, Ryan Williams, Nyjah Huston and Danny Way, all expressed their appreciation for coming to China and their astonishment at the development of extreme sports in China in recent years.

The X Games China winter event is slated to take place in Beijing in late November. It will be the first time the X Games has hosted both seasonal events in one country in the same year.

(Cover: A BMX rider practices on the Street course in Shanghai. /CGTN motion graph)