Aizawl: Mizo freestyle skateboarder Lalnunkima Ralte, popularly known as Kima, has finished fourth at the World Freestyle Skateboarding Championships 2026 in Kassel, Germany. This marks another milestone for the skater in his journey from the hill roads of Mizoram to the international freestyle skating circuit.
Kima, who competes under the name @kima_gr, secured the fourth-place finish at the championship held at Messe Kassel from August 14 to 16. He secured first place in Qualifier Round 1, finished third overall in the qualifiers, and placed fourth in the finals.
The event brought together around 100 of the world’s top freestyle skateboarders from more than 30 countries, according to the City of Kassel and the World Freestyle organisers.
The 2026 championships were held at the Kassel Trade Fair Halls for the first time, with more than 10,000 square metres of space across three halls and an outdoor area. The event was organised alongside the World Freestyle Global Jam.
The weekend-long programme included the House of Walls and Global Jam, with live graffiti, music stages, street skateboarding, Flatland BMX, breakdance, streetball, workshops and other activities alongside the championship.
The three-day contest began on the first day with the amateur men, pro women and kids’ qualifiers. The second day featured the pro men and amateur women, with the qualifiers conducted in two heats. The contest concluded on the third day with the finals in every division.
The contest followed a Best Run format, with pro divisions given two-minute runs, while amateurs and kids had one-minute-30-second runs.
Germany’s Daniel Adam, the 2024 World Champion and one of the leading names in professional freestyle skateboarding, was among the competitors Kima outplaced at this year’s World Championship.
“Daniel Adam was the 2024–2025 World Champion and had placed first in all the European regional contests over the past two years. In this World Championship, I placed higher than him in both the qualifiers and the finals,” Kima said.
He described the achievement as a personal goal and felt it was worth highlighting.
Kima’s participation in the World Championship was made possible through crowdfunding and sponsorship from Piso. He has been receiving invitations to compete in the World Championship since 2016, but due to insufficient financial support, he was able to attend the event only once after nearly a decade of trying.
In Germany, the Again Crew also supported him during the competition.
For Kima, the fourth-place finish comes after years of competing internationally without the financial backing available to many athletes on the global circuit.
EastMojo reported in January 2026 that Kima’s international ambitions had repeatedly been held back by a lack of funds. The 25-year-old had received invitations to represent India at competitions in Germany, Japan and Canada, but had been unable to travel on five occasions, particularly because of the financial requirements involved in obtaining visas.
He had been invited to compete in Germany in 2026, which was his sixth international invitation.
Kima’s journey has been built largely without access to the infrastructure normally associated with high-level skating. Growing up in Mizoram, he trained on the state’s steep and often damaged roads, learning freestyle techniques through online videos and repeated practice. He did not have regular access to professional coaching or the kind of skateboarding infrastructure available in established skating communities.
His international record, however, had already begun to establish him as one of India’s leading freestyle skateboarders.
Kima placed fourth in the amateur division of the World Freestyle Round-Up in 2021 and improved to third place the following year.
He has also won the Jugaad Skate Competition on multiple occasions. In an earlier interview, Kima recalled winning the Game of Skate and Super Minute categories at the 2018 Jugaad competition and returning the following year to win the Game of Skate again.
His connection with international freestyle skating goes back several years. The World Freestyle Round-Up previously profiled Kima as a skater from Aizawl, noting that he had taken up freestyle skating after being inspired by skaters including Kilian Martin and Rodney Mullen. At the time, he was among the few freestyle skateboarders representing Mizoram and India on the international scene.