HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – JD Sanchez has been skate boarding for as long as he can remember.
The 16-year-old made his professional and X Games debut last year, realizing a lifelong dream to compete among his idols.
But it wasn’t enough to just be in the games.
Sanchez recently came away with three medals in the span of two weeks.
“I was not expecting to get a medal,” he told Hawaii News Now. “So when I finally got that medal and landed my run, I was just like the craziest feeling because it’s been my dream since I started skating, just to get a medal in general, let alone an X Games medal.”
Sanchez earned his first piece of hardware at X Games Osaka, capturing silver in the men’s skateboarding vert.
Then a week later at X Games Salt Lake City, he got another silver in the same event while garnering bronze in Best Trick.
“Just have to go for it and make sure you never give up,” Sanchez said. “That’s the main thing, but always have fun.”
Born in Waianae, JD moved away at a young age, but he still makes frequent visits to Hawaii to see family and continues to rep the islands on skateboarding’s biggest stages.
“Just anywhere in Hawaii in general, there’s so much talent,” Sanchez said. “I’m glad to show that Hawaii is more than what people say it is, it’s better than that.”
Sanchez’s next accomplishment he wants to land is qualifying for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
He tried qualifying for Paris, but missed the mark. Now he’s more motivated than ever to join some of Hawaii’s past elite skaters.
“As soon as the Olympics announced that skateboarding was going to be in it, that was my goal,” Sanchez said. “X Games and Olympics were my two goals. I got the X Games goal, which I’m stoked on. Now Olympics is my next goal.”
Up next, Sanchez is up north competing in events in Canada.
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