Angelo
Caro
Peru
·
Skateboarding
Date of birth | August 27, 1999 |
|---|---|
Birthplace | Chiclayo, Peru |
Age | 26 |
Nationality | Peru |
Career start | 2015 |
Disciplines | Skateboard Street |
At 10 years old, Peru’s Angelo Caro first set foot on a skateboard – and was smitten for life. His older brother Fabrizio let him push around the block once on his board, and that was that.
"I was a restless kid, I loved running, I had a lot of energy," he explains. "But with skating I found what I was missing as a child – I loved to feel the adrenaline and it all changed once I discovered skating."
Fast forward a few months and a trip to the market with his uncle resulted in Angelo becoming the proud owner of a board to call his own – and his life in service of the board began in earnest.
In a country like Peru, where skateboarding is still far from common, Angelo has pushed himself to progress by hunting out his own spots and stepping up his tricks on bigger architecture.
Angelo has a very supportive family who have travelled with him whenever he has had to be on the road. In his first time outside of South America he became Peru’s entrant for the 2015 Red Bull Skate Arcade final in Lisbon, Portugal, where he was only beaten into second place by the narrowest of margins.
"I think it was very motivating that my family has watched me winning," says Angelo. "We are a small family: my grandparents, my two brothers, my mom and my uncle; they're very important for me, and I think they are very happy for my achievements. They follow my news, they tell me when I’m mentioned in places – it’s very important to have this support to go on."
Angelo’s early forays into the international contest circuit included an impressive third place at the pivotal Tampa AM in 2018.
Tipped by seasoned watchers of the Latin American skate scene as a real prospect for the next big thing from a continent with a long track record of producing amazing skaters, Angelo’s outright victory at 2019’s Mystic Cup in Prague, Czech Republic, put the global scene on notice of a gifted newcomer in their midst.
The following year he became national champion, signed up with Jart Skateboards and began making some attention-grabbing videos. Then, in 2021, he scored second place at the Junior Pan American Games in Cali, Colombia, and notched up fifth at the Games in Tokyo, Japan.
The year 2022 saw Angelo become Urban World Series Champion of Spain and his highlight of 2023 was second place at the senior edition of the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile.
But for all of his achievements, Angelo is keen to stress that his sport brings him much more than simply trophies and medals.
"Skateboarding has taught me a lot in my life," he explains. "When I have problems in my personal life, skateboarding has taught me that when I do I trick I might fall many times. But I want to do that trick, so even though I scratch myself or I get dirty, I clean it up and I stand up and do it over again. The most beautiful moment is when I finally do it.
"The same happens in your life – you want to achieve something, you are going to have problems and you must keep trying; this is how it works for me."