The 19th edition of the NL Contest in Strasbourg brought amazing BMX

May 25, 2025

Written by Bart de Jong

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The 19th edition of the NL Contest by Caisse d'Epargne - Urban Sport & Art Festival has just concluded in Strasbourg! From May 23rd to 25th, the Rotonde Skatepark hosted an unforgettable spectacle where athletes literally pushed the limits. Nearly 400 athletes and artists and 40,000 festival-goers attended this edition, which lived up to its promise, attracting audiences from across the Grand Est region and beyond. The park and the recently restored halfpipe ramp were the setting for incredible feats. Riders from all corners of the globe displayed boundless creativity and spectacular range, performing impressive tricks that seemed to defy the laws of physics. To the rhythm of the bass playing throughout the venue, the breakers literally set the gym ablaze, while the basketball players competed passionately on the specially designed 3v3 courts. Local trampolines, meanwhile, took on demanding challenges in the parkour events. New this year, the ACON Action Zone allowed the public to discover, for the first time, two professional trampolines. Fascinating introductions and demonstrations were offered by three of the world's best athletes. Meanwhile, the exhibition village offered a range of entertainment throughout the weekend.

The opening day of the festival brought together enthusiasts from the region and beyond for the qualifying rounds in Rollerblading, BMX, and Freestyle Scooter. Late in the afternoon, the venue rocked to the sound of an exceptional concert by Puppetmastaz, the international hip-hop group with a unique identity, featuring Alsatian rapper Géabé as the opening act.

Saturday saw the amateur BMX and Freestyle Scooter finals take center stage, before giving way to the professionals. The latter offered high-flying qualifications on the Park in BMX and Roller. In Roller, the highly anticipated return of the spectacular Diaby Diako, after several years spent officiating at Cirque du Soleil in the United States, won everyone over with his performance. In BMX, Frenchman Istvan Caillet

created a sensation with a first run of rare intensity. On the Halfpipe ramp, hosting the Skateboard and Roller qualifications, amplitude was the key word. The Japanese delegation, notably led by Takeshi Yasutoko, the most decorated rider in the world, truly set the pace. Everything took place in the high-energy atmosphere that is the trademark of the NL Contest.

Finally, Sunday saw the Amateur Roller final, closely followed by the impressive Women's Roller Park final, where the level of the competitors astounded the audience! The young 15-year-old Brazilian, Ana Julia Da Silva, once again won the competition. The Park then resonated with cheers during the Freestyle Scooter Pro competition, once again crowning Esteban Clot, who set the bar even higher! In the Skateboard Halfpipe, Joris Brichet finally regained first place. One of the most anticipated highlights of the weekend, the Roller Park Pro final offered an exceptional show. The battle for the podium was fierce, and it was ultimately the Brazilian Danilo Senna who won first place thanks to a series of stratospheric tricks. Still in Roller skating, but on the Halfpipe ramp, it was obviously Takeshi Yasutoko who outshined his peers. Finally, the NL Contest ended in style with the victory of the best French rider Istvan Caillet, who had already dazzled the judges and the public during the BMX Park Pro qualifications.

Another great edition for the NL Contest! And next year, the Urban Sport & Art Festival will celebrate its 20th anniversary. The Nouvelle Ligne association is already working on this next edition and is preparing some great surprises to properly celebrate, alongside athletes, artists, partners and festival-goers, the second decade of this unique event! See you on May 22, 23 and 24, 2026 at the Rotonde SkatePark in Strasbourg!

Dirt BMX
1 Istvan CAILLET
2 Nicolas KROFFIG
3 Ryan HUYSMANS
4- Romain DEVASSINE
5- Jean FAYTRE
6- Antoine L HELGUEN
7- Antony SANTILLI
8- Maxime ORSINI
9- Conrad PORONOUIS
10- Téo LEVEL
11- Remi BRIANT

BMX PARK AMATEUR
1 Sasha BONSARD
2 Damien MAZET
3 Antony SANTILLI
4- Loann DELANNOY
5- Jonathan DOUVIER
6- Antoine POURE
7- Lucas STOLL
8- Valentin ROTT

BMX PARK PRO
1 Istvan CAILLET
2 Jack CLARK
3 Romain DEVASSINE
4- Alexandre SIDERIS
5- Ilyan ANSEL
6- Remi BRIANT
7- Maxime VAUTRINOT
8- Téo LEVEL
9- Gerrit VAN OPDENBOSCH
10- Maxime ORSINI