World champion Aurélien Giraud returns to competition in Chicago

The Lyonnais is back in the United States. Under the American sun, Aurélien Giraud has already unveiled a few nuggets on video on social networks, shot across the Atlantic, showing that he is in good shape. A little over two months later his title of world championlanded in the United Arab Emirates at the beginning of February, the 25-year-old tricolor skater will find his way back to competition in Chicago on Saturday, for the first round of the year in the Street League.

This reference circuit in street (one of the two Olympic disciplines) does not depend on the International Federation and therefore does not count for qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympics. But this US meeting is one of the most followed by the skate community and one of the most prestigious.

Aurélien Giraud will be the only Frenchman present in Chicago since the European champion Vincent Milou, 4th at the Tokyo Olympics and silver medalist at the X Games, had to declare forfeit following a minor ankle injury. Chicago is the first stage of a circuit made up of four dates, with Tokyo on August 12, Sydney on October 7 and the grand finale, the location of which has not yet been announced.

The two street specialists, chances of medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics, will return to the World Skate Olympic qualifying circuit next June, with a stopover in Rome, the equivalent of a World Cup (June 18-25). .