After earning a spot on the 2024 National Slalom Skateboarding Team, Campbell resident Leiola Kahaku recently placed second overall in the Pro Women division at the US Slalom Skateboarding National Championships in Broomfield, Colorado. And the 16-year-old isn’t done yet.
Kahaku will be racing at the Slalom World Championships in Sao Paulo, Brazil this November. Her goal is to place high in the rankings in order to qualify for the 2026 US Slalom Skateboarding national team, which includes a spot in the World Skate Games in Paraguay.
Slalom skateboarding, a form of downhill skateboard racing that has been around since the 1960s, was added to the World Skate Games in 2022. Skateboarders speed down a course usually marked by plastic cones, trying to knock down the fewest cones in the fastest time.
Kahaku said she is probably going 30 to 35 MPH when she races. She is not fazed by the speeds, however.
“It feels sort of mellow,” she said, “like medium speed.”
Kahaku received her first skateboard from her uncles at Christmas when she was 7 years old. She enjoys skating on ramps and in skate parks.
“I skated off and on,” she said, “but I really started focusing on skating during the pandemic.”
Under the guidance of world champion Judi Oyama, Kahaku found her stride running cones down hills and fell in love with the discipline.
Kahaku is also a member of the Girl is NOT a 4 Letter Word skate team, a nonprofit sponsored by the American Skateboarding Association that focuses on giving girls and women in skateboarding opportunities, funding and recognition.