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SLS DTLA Takeover

SLS DTLA Takeover — Covell and Kang, 16 and Already Bosses

Friday, April 4, Downtown Los Angeles. The second stop of the SLS Championship Tour 2026 crowned two 16-year-olds in front of a sold-out Ace Mission Studios. Chloe Covell and Juni Kang left nothing for the veterans. The message is clear: competitive skateboarding has changed hands.

⏱ Reading time: 5 min

Ace Mission Studios: The Perfect Playground

SLS never does things by halves. For this second stop of the 2026 Championship Tour, the league set up its custom course right in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles, within the walls of Ace Mission Studios. A warehouse transformed into an arena, sold out in a few hours. The kind of spot where you feel the adrenaline before the first skater even drops.

Outside, Lowrider Magazine had fifteen gleaming rides parked along the sidewalk. On stage between runs, Paul Wall spit his punchlines. Samsung filmed the entire contest with the Galaxy S26 Ultra, a first in SLS history. LA in all its glory: concrete, bass, and boards.

Juni Kang: The Revelation from Seoul

If you didn’t know Juni Kang yet, remember this name. This 16-year-old kid from Seoul just made one of the most explosive debuts in SLS history. First Street League contest, first win. No adjustment period, no feeling out round. Just pure domination.

On his last attempt, when the pressure would have made anyone crack, Kang landed a 9 Club trick — the highest score of the day. The kind of moment that gets an entire room on its feet. After his win at the Tampa Am last November, his trajectory is clear.

Kang discovered skateboarding in elementary school in 2016 watching his best friend try it. Ten hours a day on his board, every day, without exception. He dropped out of school purely out of obsession. His influences? Chris Joslin for power, Yuto Horigome for style. South Korea had never produced such talent. With his sponsors Nike SB and Red Bull behind him, the world better watch out.

Chloe Covell: 3 for 3, The Invincible

On the women’s side, the suspense was limited — but the show, absolutely not. Chloe Covell won her third consecutive victory in Takeover format. 3 for 3. Perfect. The 16-year-old Australian continues to crush the competition with a consistency that would make circuit veterans pale.

The highlight? A massive kickflip down the course stairs — the biggest trick of her young career, by her own admission. At 13, she became the youngest X Games gold medalist in history. At 16, she reigns supreme over SLS. Her board sponsor April Skateboards, her Independent trucks, her Bones wheels — a confirmed pro setup for a skater who’s just getting started.

Daniela Terol and Europe on the Rise

The real surprise of the evening was Daniela Terol. The Spaniard from Barcelona took second place — her first SLS podium, at her very first event. First contest, first podium. You read that right. The Barcelona scene continues to produce raw talent, raised on the ledges of MACBA and Sants.

Paige Heyn (USA) rounded out the podium in third place. But it was Terol who stole the show that night. Currently the highest-ranked European woman in the World Skateboarding Ranking for street, she’s eyeing the Los Angeles 2028 Games with non-negotiable ambition.

Skateboarding Enters a New Era

Two 16-year-old winners. A Spaniard who shows up and takes second place right away. The SLS filmed entirely on a smartphone. Lowriders parked in front of the spot. This DTLA Takeover wasn’t just a contest — it was a statement.

The generation born after 2005 is rewriting the rules. Covell, Kang, Terol — these names will dominate the next decade. Competitive skateboarding has never been so young, so international, so spectacular. And the next stop of the SLS Championship Tour 2026 promises even more fire.

The question is no longer whether this generation is ready. The question is whether the rest of the world can keep up.