SLS Miami 2026: Juni Kang again. 2 wins, 2 stops — this kid?!

CONTENTS

May 3rd, Watsco Center, Miami. The SLS landed its second stop of the 2026 season. And just like at DTLA three weeks earlier, only one name topped the standings: Juni Kang. 18 years old. Korean. And clearly not aware it's supposed to be hard.

Two stops. Two wins. The SLS 2026 already has its Super Crown candidate — and the season has barely started. We said it before Miami: the threat was real. It became domination.

The Miami Final, slot by slot

The Watsco Center final was a race for nines. Juni Kang landed a 9.0 on his very first run — the kind of score that cuts opponents' legs out from under them before the competition is even halfway through. His style? Ultra-technical, natural transition on all obstacles, zero visible hesitation.

Nyjah Huston held on for a while. The Californian, five-time SLS world champion, remains a trick machine — but the judges haven't awarded the same scores this year. His 8.6 in the second run wasn't enough. Third place.

Yuto Horigome, reigning Olympic champion, finished second. The Japanese skater delivered a clean run, steezy as usual — but not aggressive enough in his tricks to surpass Kang. This is the second time this season he's finished right behind the Korean. The Horigome-Kang rivalry is shaping up to be the match of the season.

Juni Kang — who is he, really?

If you'd never heard this name before April 2026, that's normal. Juni Kang barely existed in the elite circuit six months ago. He's been skateboarding since he was a kid, he cut his teeth on the exploding Asian scene — and now, in two steps, he's become the most dangerous player in the SLS.

What's striking about him: his line consistency. While some riders bet everything on a single 9.8 trick, Kang builds complete runs. Each trick makes sense with the next. It's the kind of skateboarding that wins competitions over time — not just moments.

He's 18. Pressure doesn't seem to get to him. And he comes from a Korean generation of skaters who grew up watching Yuto Horigome on YouTube and decided to do the same — or even better.

2026 Season Standings after Miami

After two stops (DTLA + Miami), here's where the official SLS men's standings are:

Pos.	Photo	Rider	Country	Points
★ 1	JK 🇰🇷	Juni Kang 17 years old · Monster Energy	🇰🇷 South Korea	200
2	🇯🇵	Yuto Horigome 25 years old · Nike SB · April	🇯🇵 Japan	170
3	🇺🇸	Nyjah Huston 30 years old · DC Shoes · Element	🇺🇸 United States	140
4	🇵🇹	Gustavo Ribeiro 24 years old · Plan B	🇵🇹 Portugal	120
5	🇫🇷	Aurélien Giraud 27 years old · Element · Etnies · Red Bull	🇫🇷 France	105

Aurélien Giraud in 5th place — the only Frenchman in the running for the Super Crown. Three months ago, you would've imagined him in the lead. Asian competition is redrawing the map of competitive skateboarding.

The top European and American riders will have to step up their game. Gustavo Ribeiro is lurking, but the 80-point gap with Kang will require at least two consecutive podiums to close.

What's next: Tokyo and the Super Crown race

The next SLS stop is Tokyo — and if you think that's going to help Juni Kang, you're probably right. Asian street skateboarding on his home turf, in a country where the crowd will push riders like Horigome or Sora Shirai all the way.

It's also a crucial stop for LA28 qualifications via the World Skate Tour — the World Skate rankings will be updated immediately after. Several riders vying for the Games will be watching these standings very closely. Every point counts now.

The Super Crown is played at the end of the season. But if Kang wins Tokyo again, the conversation will be over before summer even starts. That's what makes this start to the season crazy: we might already have the champion in our hands — and the season is far from over.

Yuto is cooked. The 2026 Super Crown will be Asian. And for the first time in 5 years, it won't be a Brazilian on top of the SLS.

Juni Kang doesn't lose. Yuto delivered his best run and finished 2nd. Nyjah is chasing his old glory. If Kang takes Tokyo, the season is wrapped up by July. We're betting on it.

And you — are you betting on Juni all the way, or on Yuto's comeback in Tokyo?

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