Sandro Dias was known as a vert master well before he was named World Champion in 2003. With victories at events like the European Championships, the Latin X Games, the Crail World Cup, and Vans Triple Crown events, it was almost a foregone conclusion that one day the fearless Brazilian would capture the global skateboard crown.
And now that he's got it, he's not about to give it up without a fight. In May 2004, Dias solidified his Number 1 World Cup Skateboarding (WCS) ranking when he became only the third man in history to complete a 900 in public. (The first was a fellow who goes by the name of Tony Hawk.) Dias says his motto is ''Live intensive, and in the present moment" – and at the present moment, he's as ''intensive'' as it gets.
Steady progression
Over the years, Brazil has produced a remarkable line of outstanding performers in the vert pipe. Dias was born in 1975, and he grew up inspired by early masters like American Steve Caballero. By 1987, at the age of 12, he began competing.
Dias spent the 1990s polishing his skills and working his way up the pro ranks. But he truly came into his own with the new millennium, and he has spent the opening years of the twenty-first century filling up his trophy case.
The 900 and beyond
Dias kicked off 2004 strong, quashing anyone insane enough to doubt his Number 1 ranking. The compact, 5'6'' skater destroyed the vert ramp at February's Asian X Games to take the win, and then proceeded to mow down the competition in subsequent events, rapidly qualifying for the year's headline competitions, including the Summer X Games in Los Angeles and the Gravity Games in Cleveland.
In May, at home in Brazil at the Latin X Games, Dias set a new standard, high even for him, when he became only the third person in history to land a 900, the ''holy grail of vert tricks,'' in public. (Tony Hawk was the trailblazer, in 2003, and the other skater to achieve the audacious feat is Italy's Giorgio Zattoni.) Dias earned first-place vert honors at the event, and as the ecstatic athlete accepted his trophy, he looked into the crowd and thanked his mother. Fittingly, it happened to be Mother's Day.
Although the skateboard cognoscenti have had their eyes on Dias for years, the flash of the 900 has brought him to the attention of a whole new legion of fans, especially in North America, who want to see it for themselves. The Brazilian pro doesn't disappoint: in June he nailed another one at the Vans Slam City Jam in Vancouver. He promptly headed off to showcase his skills in European WCS competitions before returning to North America to see if he can stomp a 900 under the pressure of cameras and crowds at X Games X. On top of all that, Dias is also a headliner in the Mobile Skatepark Series, and he's in the process of filming for a WCS movie. With so much travel on his schedule, he finds it easiest to maintain two residences, one in Brazil and one in California.
Dias seems to be at the peak of his powers, with better skills than ever and the drive to match. Tony Hawk landed his first 900 at age 36. If Dias's career lasts as long as that of his hero Steve Caballero, who is now in his 40s and still going strong, there's no telling what he can achieve.
