Monster Energy athletes won four medals across skateboarding, motocross and BMX on the first day of X Games Sacramento 2026, setting the pace for the weekend competition.
In the Women's Skateboard Park final, 16-year-old Arisa Trew of Australia won gold with a dominant performance. She scored 86.66 points on her first run before posting 92.66 points on her second attempt, featuring McTwist transitions, gap transfers and a switch McTwist that drew cheers from spectators.
Trew now has nine X Games gold medals. She needs one more to become the most decorated female athlete in X Games history, with two more competitions remaining this weekend.
"This is the highest level of girl skateboarding," Trew said. "Everyone here is pushing me. And it's super cool because it makes me go harder."
Fellow Monster Energy rider Raicca Ventura of Brazil earned her first X Games medal with bronze. The former Women's Skateboard Park World Champion scored 81 points on her opening run to secure third place.
In Moto X Best Whip, Julien Vanstippen of Belgium successfully defended his gold medal from last year's X Games Salt Lake City. Vanstippen launched massive whips over a 75-foot gap throughout the competition, including an inverted whip in his final attempt that convinced judges to award him back-to-back gold medals.
"Every time I come here, it's great riding in front of the American crowd," Vanstippen said. "I'm super happy, everyone really loves motocross."
Vanstippen owns seven X Games medals across his career, including three gold. He said he saves his most ambitious tricks for final attempts as part of his strategy.
In Men's BMX Park, Kevin Peraza of Tucson, Arizona, won bronze after failing to medal last year. Peraza vaulted into third place on his first run and raised the difficulty on his final attempt, stringing together can-can grabs, seat grabs, barspin transfers and wallrides.
The competition is part of the newly launched MoonPay X Games League, a year-round, team-based, co-ed format where city-based clubs and individual athletes accumulate points throughout the season.
Monster Energy is a founding partner of the reimagined competition. The opening day performances represent the beginning of what is expected to be a dominant showing from Monster Energy's roster of athletes as the weekend continues.
