Urban Spotlight: Kotaro Tokuda, Youngest Freestyle Champ

One of Japan’s premier freestylers, Kotaro Tokuda aka “Tokura,” first began playing soccer in the sixth grade. When an injury on the field turned him onto freestyle, Tokuda quickly took to it, and in 2009 he became the youngest champion of the Red Bull Street Style Japan Final, while still in high school. Three years later, he became the freestyle world champion.

Currently a Red Bull athlete ambassador, Tokuda cites Séan Garnier as a role model and, like your typical baller, likes hip hop, skateboarding, and freestyle dance. His meteoric rise in stardom is no doubt one of the huge contributors to the growing number of amazingly talented Japanese up-and-comers in the game.

Kotaro Tokuda walks through Nagoya city prior to the Red Bull Street Style Japan Final 2014 at the Sirakawa park in Nagoya, Japan on September 5th, 2014 // Naoyuki Shibata/Red Bull Content Pool // P-20141002-00140 // Usage for editorial use only // Please go to www.redbullcontentpool.com for further information. //

Kotaro Tokuda performs during a photo shoot in Yokohama Akarenga, Japan on November 19th, 2012 // Hiroyuki Orihara/Red Bull Content Pool // P-20121203-00166 // Usage for editorial use only // Please go to www.redbullcontentpool.com for further information. //

Kotaro Tokuda of Japan performs during the Red Bull Street Style World Final, Lecce, Italy on September 22nd 2012. // Romina Amato/Red Bull Content Pool // P-20120923-00054 // Usage for editorial use only // Please go to www.redbullcontentpool.com for further information. //

Kotaro Tokuda performs prior to the Red Bull Street Style Japan Final 2014 at the Sirakawa park in Nagoya, Japan on September 5th, 2014 // Naoyuki Shibata/Red Bull Content Pool // P-20141002-00139 // Usage for editorial use only // Please go to www.redbullcontentpool.com for further information. //

Source: Red Bull

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