Mexican Skiper emerged as the champion of the Second Quadrant, edging out rivals CTZ, Tirpa, and Valles-T and earning the final pass toward the upcoming International Final. The ticket to Red Bull War, staged in Mexico, was sealed through a dramatic display that showcased Mexico’s freestyle scene at its best.
Skiper makes a bold return for the second consecutive year in a bid to reach the Red Bull Batalla International Final. Last year he stood as Mexico’s national champion, and this year he earned entry via the Runners Up Quadrant, a new format that pitted the four top-rated runners-up from national finals against one another for the last spot in the World Cup. The December showdown would determine who would join the world’s elite in the global finals.
In a fan-led decision process that spanned audiences across continents, the final selection was influenced by votes from supporters worldwide to decide which runner-up would secure a place in the International Final. Chile Teorema captured the honor, while Red Bull surprised the freestyle community with a format never seen before. Skiper finished second in the national final in Mexico, narrowly ahead of Tirpa from Malaga and Colombia’s CTZ, after a tense face-off held at an iconic old flour mill in Mexico City. Valles-T, who had previously claimed bronze in 2018 and silver in 2019 and chased another international milestone, settled for second place while Tirpa claimed third.
With the roster for the international stage now taking shape, Skiper joins the Argentine winner Wolf and Teorema as the last entrants to complete the line-up of freestylers ready to challenge Aczino’s throne. The squad also features Skone, who was runner-up in 2021, Gazi in third, Yoiker, Mexico’s current champion, Blon as Spain’s champion, Carpediem representing Colombia, Diego as Red Bull Ecuador’s champion, Lyrical Exodus for Red Bull Central America, Clash as Peru’s champion, Suggest as the United States champion, Mecha for Argentina, Joker for Chile, and Spectro representing Uruguay.
Reflecting on past lessons and a hard-earned loss against Colombia’s Marithea in Viña del Mar in 2021, Skiper approaches this chapter with renewed focus. Tickets for the event have sold out, and anticipation is high as a packed Palacio de los Deportes in Mexico City awaits the showdown, promising a memorable night for fans and a fresh chapter in the international freestyle narrative.