From streets to stadiums: Aurélien Giraud is keeping the medals in France

Aurélien Giraud (26) is one of the best street skateboarders in the scene! This summer, he will try to win a medal in France. He is one of the favourites for the Games. Not only is he a Frenchman with whole of Paris rooting for him. But as the current skateboarding street World Champion, all eyes are on him.

_{Lyon Skatepark}

It all started in his hometown Lyon, France. Aurélien’s dad took him to his local skatepark, Ville de Lyon Skatepark. At only 4 years old! Aurélien quickly ditched his dad’s roller-skates. For his 5th birthday, Aurélien got his first real skateboard from his dad. Ever since then, he has been non-stop training his skateboarding skills. His style is very unique. Aurélien has what’s called a “Goofy Stance”. Meaning that his right foot is his dominant foot, and his left foot is at the back for pushing. 1/4 Skateboarders ride goofy. Other than that Aurélien is a pretty normal guy ;).

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_{Big, bigger, best}

Inside and outside tournaments, Aurélien knows how to push himself. He is one of the few skateboarders that attempted the world record for biggest ollie. It launched him over 2 meters in the air! But that’s not all. He even attempted to hit the infamous Lyon 25. This stair-set in his hometown is one of the biggest in the whole world! Aaron Homoki is the only skateboarder who cleared the stair. It costed him a lot of trips and hospital visits. Same goes for Aurélien. He cracked his heal and broke his board. But in the future, Aurélien will sure try again. This “go big or go home” attitude pushes him in every contest. It makes him one of the best in the scene.

_{Breakthrough and prices}

At 17, Aurélien had his breakthrough on the international stage. All the way over in Florida, he won  the Street League Skateboarding Tampa Am contest. This is one of the most famous amateur events for upcoming skateboarders. Ever since Florida, Aurélien has been collecting prizes all over the globe. He is a 3-time World Cup Skateboarding winner. Also winning a gold and bronze medal in the Dew Tour. Aurélien is collecting prizes in France as well, winning 2 national championships. He first made his Olympic debut in 2021 on the Tokyo Olympics. Unfortunately he only got as far as 6th place then. But he has made big steps ever since Tokyo! In the World Street Skateboarding tournament in Rome, he got 2nd place. This made him one of the first to get a qualifying ticket for the Paris Olympics. Aurélien is more than ready for the Games.

_{The man to watch}

Aurélien is not letting the gold medal leave the country. He has the whole French crowd rooting for him. Besides all the support, he has been hardcore practicing for months. This combination of skill and support is a guarantee for success. You can see Aurélien in action July 27 at La Concorde, Paris.