PARIS — Skateboarding has arrived at the Olympics. In just its second incarnation at the Olympic level, skateboarding culminated a successful Paris run with the men’s street finals on Wednesday afternoon. Tony Hawk kicked off the event with a ceremonial start, and when it was through, Australia’s Keegan Palmer claimed gold, Team USA’s Tom Schaar won silver, and Brazil’s Augusto Akio earned bronze.
The final featured the defending gold and silver medalists from Tokyo: Palmer and Brazil’s Pedro Barros, respectively. Two Team USA members, Tate Carew and Schaar, reached the finals as American icons Hawk and Snoop Dogg looked on.
In the final competition, skateboarders each had three attempts to post their best run. The challengers struggled early; the first six riders all wrecked out. Schaar was the first to complete his run, and set the pace with a 90.11. Palmer topped that immediately afterward with a 93.11 to claim …