Moto Shibata

Osaka, Japan’s Moto Shibata turned pro at the age of thirteen, in 2009, and over the next ten years he’s entered and placed in many of the major vert and bowl contests around the world. He made history in 2016 by becoming the first Japanese skateboarder to win a silver medal at the X Games; he improved on that milestone the following year by becoming the first Japanese skateboarder to win gold. Though, on paper, it may seem as though Shibata is singularly focused to win competitions, it actually is quite the opposite: sometimes it looks like he’s not even trying. And that’s the beauty of Shibata’s skating. His graceful approach—holding every air just a split second longer before letting go; the way his arms reach to the heavens on a frontside grind—is worth its weight in gold.