Letícia Bufoni

Bufoni was born in São Paulo. She began skating at age nine,{{cite web |url=https://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/page/bodyleticiabufoni/skateboarder-leticia-bufoni-bares-all-espn-magazine-body-issue |title=Skateboarder Leticia Bufoni bares all |first=Morty |last=Ain |work=ESPN |date=July 6, 2015 |access-date=September 12, 2015}} and her grandmother bought her first skateboard when she was 11.{{cite web |last=Goyanes |first=Cristina |date=June 2, 2014 |title=Skateboarder Leticia Bufoni's Journey to the X Games Austin |url=http://www.shape.com/celebrities/interviews/skateboarder-leticia-bufoni-ready-roll-x-games |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140603142436/http://www.shape.com/celebrities/interviews/skateboarder-leticia-bufoni-ready-roll-x-games |archive-date=2014-06-03 |access-date=September 12, 2015 |work=shape.com}}

"I grew up in the street playing sports all the time. We didn't have computers, no smartphones. All of the kids started skating, so I did too."{{Cite web |url=https://www.thrashermagazine.com/articles/the-gizmo-interviews-leticia-bufoni/ |title=The "GIZMO" Interviews: Leticia Bufoni |website=www.thrashermagazine.com |language=en |access-date=July 23, 2019}}

"My dad broke my board so I wouldn't skate anymore. I started to skateboard when I was nine years old; I was skating with all the guys in my neighborhood, and he was mad at me because I was the only girl in the middle of 10 guys. He smashed my board in front of me and said; You're not skating anymore, ever again."{{Cite web |url=https://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/page/bodyleticiabufoni |title=Skateboarder Leticia Bufoni: 'I'm going to skate forever' |date=July 6, 2015 |website=ESPN.com |language=en |access-date=July 23, 2019}} Her father eventually relented.

At the age of 14, Bufoni moved to the United States with older friends.{{Cite web |title=What It Takes to Be a Hard-Core Skateboarder |url=https://www.shape.com/celebrities/interviews/skateboarder-leticia-bufoni-ready-roll-x-games |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140603142436/https://www.shape.com/celebrities/interviews/skateboarder-leticia-bufoni-ready-roll-x-games |archive-date=2014-06-03 |access-date=September 22, 2021 |website=Shape |language=en}} She attended Hollywood High School, but left after missing so much school that she was in danger of being expelled.

In 2007, Bufoni competed in her first X Games at the age of 14 in Los Angeles.{{cite web |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/sports/features/leticia-bufoni-on-the-perils-of-skating-naked-20150825 |title=Leticia Bufoni on the Perils of Skating Naked |first=Eric |last=Hendrixx |work=rollingstone.com |date=August 25, 2015 |access-date=September 12, 2015}}

She is a five-time X Games gold medalist. She tied Elissa Steamer's decade-old record for most gold in Women's SKB Street with her win at XG Shanghai 2019. Overall she earned six straight medals in X Games Women's SKB Street (2010–2014) and the title at Shanghai 2019.{{Cite web |url=http://www.xgames.com/athletes/3014884/leticia-bufoni |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190210050522/http://www.xgames.com/athletes/3014884/leticia-bufoni |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 10, 2019 |title=Leticia Bufoni's official X Games athlete biography |website=X Games |access-date=July 23, 2019}}

She has become one of the world's best-known and most influential action sports athletes.

Bufoni was ranked the #1 women's street skateboarder by World Cup of Skateboarding four years in a row 2010–2013 and appeared in {{cite web |url=http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/407848-most-wins-of-the-world-cup-skateboarding-world-rankings-street-female |title=Most wins World Cup Skateboarding World Rankings (Street, female) |first=Guinness |last=Book |work=guinnessworldrecords.com |date=April 1, 2017 |access-date=February 6, 2019}} The Guinness Book of World Records (2017) for the "Most Wins Of The World Cup of Skateboarding. In 2013, she was nominated for an ESPY Award – Best Female Action Sports Athlete.

File:Leticia Bufoni au Red Bull Conquest Paris.jpg

In 2015, she won the first Street League Skateboarding Women's SLS Super Crown World Championship in Chicago, IL.{{cite web |last=League |first=Street |date=October 4, 2015 |title=Leticia Bufoni Makes History As The First Womens Super Crown Champ |url=http://streetleague.com/2015/10/04/leticia-bufoni-makes-history-as-the-first-womens-super-crown-champ/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181227230639/http://streetleague.com/2015/10/04/leticia-bufoni-makes-history-as-the-first-womens-super-crown-champ/ |archive-date=2018-12-27 |access-date=October 10, 2015 |work=streetleague.com}} She also appeared in the ESPN Magazine – The Body Issue.{{cite web |url=http://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/page/bodyleticiabufoni/skateboarder-leticia-bufoni-bares-all-espn-magazine-body-issue |title=Leticia Bufoni: 'I'm going to skate forever' |last=Ain |first=Morty |date=July 6, 2015 |work=espn.com |access-date=July 6, 2015}} She was also the first female skater to sign for Nike SB in 2015.{{Cite web |author=Jacqui Palumbo |title=New York's radical female and non-binary skateboarders -- in photos |url=https://www.cnn.com/style/article/girls-cant-skate-jordana-bermudez-photography/index.html |access-date=January 26, 2021 |website=CNN |language=en}}

In 2018, Forbes named Bufoni one of The Most Powerful Women In International Sports for 2018 (#25){{cite web |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/alanaglass/2018/03/27/most-powerful-women-international-sports/#220db4ab7585 |title=The Most Powerful Women In International Sports |last=Glass |first=Alana |date=March 27, 2015 |work=forbes.com |access-date=September 10, 2018}} and made Sports Pro Media's list for The World's Most Marketable Athletes for 2018 (#41).{{cite web |last=Long |first=Michael |date=September 5, 2018 |title=Paul Pogba named world's most marketable athlete of 2018 |url=http://www.sportspromedia.com/most-marketable/2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180912010223/http://www.sportspromedia.com/most-marketable/2018 |archive-date=2018-09-12 |access-date=September 10, 2018 |work=Sportspromedia.com}} Further in 2018, she was named to the Forbes Brazil "Under 30" list.{{cite web |last=Magazine |first=Forbes |date=December 19, 2018 |title=10 destaques brasileiros abaixo dos 30 anos |url=https://forbes.uol.com.br/listas/2018/12/10-destaques-brasileiros-abaixo-dos-30-anos/#foto6 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181219131115/https://forbes.uol.com.br/listas/2018/12/10-destaques-brasileiros-abaixo-dos-30-anos/#foto6 |archive-date=2018-12-19 |access-date=December 12, 2018 |work=forbes.uol.com.br}}

In 2022, Bufoni set a world record (verified by Guinness World Records) for highest skateboard grind outside the back of a flying aircraft. This happened when the aircraft was flying over Merced, California. A video of this went viral in 2023. The aircraft was a C-130 transport plane, and was flying at an altitude of 9,022 feet when Bufoni did the skateboard grind.{{Cite web |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/2023/03/22/leticia-bufoni-sets-world-record-skateboard-grind-out-airplane/11521453002/ |title=Skateboarder Leticia Bufoni sets world record with jump from plane at 9,000 feet |first=Steve |last=Gardner |website=USA TODAY}}

Bufoni is the official athlete representative for World Skate, the International Olympic Committee-recognized governing body for Skateboarding.

A racing fan since her youth, Bufoni raced go-karts at a track on the parking lot of the Shopping Aricanduva mall, which was located near a skate park that she grew up on. She eventually stopped to focus on skateboarding when she moved to America,{{cite magazine|last=LoRé|first=Michael|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaellore/2023/05/24/trailblazing-skateboarder-leticia-bufoni-has-her-sights-set-on-motorsports/|title=Trailblazing Skateboarder Leticia Bufoni Has Her Sights Set On Motorsports|magazine=Forbes|date=May 24, 2023|access-date=September 6, 2024}} but occasionally dabbled in supercar racing when available.{{cite news|url=https://exoticsracing.com/news/clara-aguilar-and-leticia-bufoni.html|title=Clara Aguilar and Leticia Bufoni Race at Exotics Racing|work=Exotics Racing|date=July 6, 2015|access-date=September 6, 2024}}{{cite news|url=https://exoticsracing.com/news/Leticia_Bufoni.html|title=Leticia Bufoni|work=Exotics Racing|date=September 11, 2020|access-date=September 6, 2024}} She built a drift car in 2020.{{cite news |date=August 11, 2022 |title=Leticia Bufoni hace historia con su proyecto Sky Grind |trans-title=Leticia Bufoni makes history with her Sky Grind project |url=http://elpatin.com/leticia-bufoni-hace-historia-con-su-proyecto-sky-grind/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221208051557/http://elpatin.com/leticia-bufoni-hace-historia-con-su-proyecto-sky-grind/ |archive-date=2022-12-08 |access-date=September 6, 2024 |work=elpatín |language=es}}

In 2022, as she scaled back her skating career to focus on other projects, she began racing in Nitro Rallycross' side-by-side class. Despite racing without practice, Bufoni finished seventh and sixth in her first weekend at ERX Motor Park.{{cite web|url=https://www.y-yokohama.com/cp/global/motorsports/2022ms/nrx/ms_22_nrx_03_res/|title=2022-2023 Nitro RX(Rallycross) Round 3 Result & Photo|work=Yokohama Rubber Company|access-date=September 6, 2024}}{{cite magazine|last=Teo Van Runkle|first=Michael|url=https://www.mensjournal.com/adventure/nitro-rallycross-women|title=Meet the Next Generation of Women in Nitro Rallycross|magazine=Men's Journal|date=March 27, 2023|access-date=September 6, 2024}} She ran the full 2023–24 Nitrocross SxS season and placed fifth in points.{{cite web|url=https://www.nitrocrossracing.com/post/nitrocross-2023-2024-season-series|title=Nitrocross 2023/2024 Season Series|work=Nitrocross|date=March 5, 2024|access-date=September 6, 2024}}

Bufoni made her desert racing at the NORRA 500 in October 2023, where she shared a modified Nissan Frontier with Chris Forsberg. The two won the Stock Production class.{{cite news|last=Anderson|first=Micah|url=https://www.offroadxtreme.com/news/nissan-frontier-forsberg-edition-is-based-on-a-desert-racing-dream/|title=Nissan Frontier Forsberg Edition Is Based On A Desert Racing Dream|publisher=Off Road Xtreme|date=February 7, 2024|access-date=September 6, 2024}}

On April 7, 2021, Bufoni became a citizen of the United States.{{Cite web |title=USCIS on LinkedIn: #NewUSCitizen |url=https://www.linkedin.com/posts/uscis_newuscitizen-activity-6785931795994083328-Tn-V |access-date=April 8, 2021 |website=www.linkedin.com |language=en}}

• 2015 – 1st Place: Far'n High Women's Finals – Paris, France
• 2015 – 1st Place: Excellent Mystic Skate Cup Women's Street – Prague, Czech Republic
• 2015 – 1st Place: Street League Super Crown Women's Finals – Chicago, USA
• 2016 – 1st Place: Far'n' High Women's Finals – Paris, France – Paris, France
• 2016 – 1st Place: Mystic Sk8 Cup Women's Open – Prague, Czech Republic
• 2016 – 2nd Place: Street League Super Crown Women's Finals – Los Angeles, USA
• 2017 – 3rd Place: X Games Minneapolis Skateboard Street – Minneapolis, USA
• 2017 – 2nd Place: Street League Super Crown Women's Finals – Los Angeles, USA
• 2018 – 1st Place: X Games Norway Skateboard Street – Oslo, Norway
• 2018 – 2nd Place: World Cup of Skateboarding Street – Vigo, Spain
• 2018 – 2nd Place: X Games Skateboard Street – Sydney, Australia
• 2019 – 1st Place: X Games Skateboard Street – Shanghai, China
• 2019 – 2nd Place: Dew Tour – Long Beach, California, USA
• 2021 – 1st Place: X Games Skateboard Street - Vista, California, USA

• Nickelodeon 2016 Kids' Choice Sports – Queen Of Swag
• Cartoon Network 2014 Hall of Game Awards – She Got Game

Bufoni is a playable character in the video game Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5. She also appears in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2, an enhanced remake of the first two Pro Skater games with an updated roster of playable skaters.

Bufoni plays a featured role in the music video for "Snapback" by Old Dominion.

{{Reflist}}

• {{Olympics.com profile}}
• {{Olympedia}}
• {{X Games profile|new_id=leticia-bufoni|old_id=3014884}}
• [https://www.redbull.com/int-en/athlete/leticia-bufoni Leticia Bufoni] at Red Bull
• [https://www.redbull.com/int-en/leticia-bufoni-interview This is Leticia Bufoni's life less ordinary] on redbull.com
• [https://www.redbull.com/int-en/events/AP-1Z253ZC8W1W11/ Red Bull Roller Coaster]
• [https://www.thrashermagazine.com/articles/the-gizmo-interviews-leticia-bufoni/ The GIZMO interviews: Leticia Bufoni] on Thrasher
• [https://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/page/bodyleticiabufoni/skateboarder-leticia-bufoni-bares-all-espn-magazine-body-issue Leticia Bufoni: I'm going to skate forever] on ESPN
• [https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-sports/leticia-bufoni-on-the-perils-of-skating-naked-60444/ On the perils of skating naked] for Rolling Stone
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ii9PkEXYv-c Leticia Bufoni in the Nine Club with Chris Roberts]
• {{Instagram|leticiabufoni}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bufoni, Leticia}}

Category:1993 births

Category:Living people

Category:Brazilian emigrants to the United States

Category:Brazilian skateboarders

Category:American female skateboarders

Category:Naturalized citizens of the United States

Category:Olympic skateboarders for Brazil

Category:Skateboarders at the 2020 Summer Olympics

Category:Sportspeople from São Paulo

Category:X Games competitors

Category:Brazilian racing drivers

Category:Brazilian female racing drivers

Category:Racing drivers from São Paulo

Category:21st-century American sportswomen

Category:21st-century Brazilian sportswomen