The street lineup for the 2013 Kimberley Diamond Cup presented by Kumba Iron Ore was announced this week. The best pro street skaters from around the world will battle it out in Kimberley, South Africa from 27 – 29 September for a world championship title and their share of a $500,000 prize purse, the largest single event prize purse in skateboarding. The winner of the Street Championships will receive a $100,000 cash prize.
The 2013 Kimberley Diamond Cup pro street competitors are:
Youness Amrani
Mike Anderson
Curren Caples
Lucas Carvalho
Danny Cerezini
Trevor Colden
Jack Curtain
Ryan Decenzo
Adam Dyet
Tommy Fynn
Felipe Gustavo
James Hardy
Wes Kremer
Rodrigo Leal
Louie Lopez
Greg Lutzka
Alec Majerus
Alexandre Massotti
Nick Merlino
Silas Baxter Neal
Manny Santiago
Evan Smith
Rodrigo TX
“This roster is insane,” said Pro Skater Greg Lutzka. “To bring all these guys together in South Africa, with a world championship title and a huge prize purse, it’s gonna be an intense contest. The head-to-head jam format means lots of action and lots of crazy tricks are gonna get thrown. This is one contest where I almost wish I could just watch because I know it’s going to be insane. But that $100,000 prize is way too big to pass up, so I’ll definitely be hitting it hard and going all out.”
The Kimberley Diamond Cup Street Championships will take place in the Kumba Skate Plaza on a custom designed street course designed by California Skateparks, the global leader in skate park design. The contest will be broadcast live in South Africa, and then around the world in 173 countries and 367 million homes.
“To see such a diverse group of skaters represented at a single event is pretty remarkable,” said Ryan Clements of CA PROductions, part of the event management team and one of the announcers of the Kimberley Diamond Cup. “The contest will be using a head-to head jam format, which is a great way to get the skaters to push their limits and literally battle it out, giving everything they’ve got. It’s going to be an incredible contest to watch with nonstop shredding from beginning to end. This is a huge prize in the skateboarding world, with $100,000 cash up for grabs, the skating is going to be insane. And to get to do it all in South Africa is just incredible. I can’t wait to see how it all goes down!”
The buildup to the Kimberley Diamond Cup will include two pro tours consisting of some of the top pros in the industry. One pro tour will start in Cape Town and one in Johannesburg and each tour will work its way to Kimberley, with the pros giving skate clinics, demos, autograph signings and building excitement for the world championships in the small townships along the way.
Kimberley Diamond Cup replaces the Maloof Money Cup world championships, which ended its run in South Africa last year. The new event, a partnership between the Northern Cape Provincial Government, World Skateboarding Grand Prix and Kumba Iron Ore, was named in homage to the host city’s history as the location of South Africa’s first diamond mine and its distinction as “The Diamond City.”
“South Africa has experienced a skateboarding movement over the last few years and the Kimberley Diamond Cup is the most highly anticipated event of the year,” said John Block, MEC for Finance, Economic Development and Tourism. “This year’s contest has the largest number of skaters and the biggest names of any skate event we’ve ever hosted. The hotels in Kimberley are already at capacity and the anticipation is growing every day. Luckily fans won’t have to wait much longer. We’re excited to host this incredible event and see history made.”
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