Kiko Francisco may have fallen just short of the podium, but the veteran Filipino-American skateboarder left the 20th Asian Games with a different kind of victory: rediscovering the joy of competition.
Francisco placed fourth in the men’s park final with 84.41 points on Friday, finishing just 1.62 points behind bronze medalist Shiji Gunji of Japan, who scored 86.03.
Chinese Taipei’s Ku Yong-yan took silver with 87.33 points, while Japan’s Izuru Nagahara topped the competition with 88.96.
Despite missing out on a medal, Francisco was pleased with his performance, especially considering the limited preparation he had before the Games.
“I am beyond happy with my performance. I could not be any happier. Dude, I came into this with literally no expectations,” he said.
The 24-year-old said he had logged only around 10 hours of practice, including his preparations for the Asian Games.
“I’ve put in maybe 10 hours of practice, including the practice time to prepare for this. So I was not expecting much,” he said.
With little pressure on his shoulders, Francisco said he was finally able to compete freely and perform the tricks he wanted without being consumed by nerves.
“Everything I did out there on that course was something I wanted to do, and it felt amazing,” he said.
That experience was particularly meaningful for Francisco, who said the pressure of elite competition had often affected him throughout his career.
“For the past 10 years, I’m always nervous and I’m always trying to do stuff I don’t want to do. And I really had a lot of free-range competition. I had a lot of fun. Completely. No regrets,” he said.
Francisco described the Asian Games final as one of his most enjoyable competitions in years.
“I had a great time. This is probably one of the most fun competitions I’ve had in the past 10 years probably.”
(C) POC Media Group
The Asian Games also gave Francisco an opportunity to share the biggest stage with one of his former students, Mazel Paris Alegado, who finished fifth in the women’s park final with a best score of 80.65.
Francisco has been coaching skateboarders for the past four years through his business, First Class Skate, with Alegado among his earliest students.
“Mazel was actually one of my second students ever, and I’ve been a professional skateboard coach for the past four years now.”
Seeing Alegado compete alongside him in the Asian Games made the experience even more meaningful.
“To see that we are competing at the top level of skateboarding, it’s really incredible,” he said.
Francisco has also coached other young Filipino skateboarders, including Elizabeth Amador, as he gradually expands his role in the sport beyond his own competitive career.
Following his Asian Games campaign, Francisco plans to devote more time to developing First Class Skate and helping young skateboarders gain international experience.
“Something that’s next for me is to really elevate my business back home, which is a skateboard coaching business called First Class Skate.”
He hopes to give the next generation of Filipino skateboarders opportunities to compete on the biggest stages.
“I really want to take kids all over the world to the next level just so they can compete at this type of stage.”
Francisco brings considerable international experience to that coaching role. He is a two-time SEA Games gold medalist in men’s park skateboarding, winning at the 2019 SEA Games in the Philippines before claiming another title at the 2025 SEA Games in Bangkok with a score of 90.68.
He was also the lone Filipino park skateboarder to advance to the second phase of the 2024 Paris Olympic Qualification System, competing in the qualification events in Dubai and Budapest.
While the Asian Games podium eluded him, Francisco left Nagoya with a performance he could be proud of—and a renewed appreciation for why he competes in the first place.
