PHILADELPHIA - The last minute addition walked away with gold Saturday.
Rodil de Araujo Jr. didn't know he'd be competing in X Games VIII until Friday when officials called and asked him to participate in the skateboard street and skateboard street best trick competitions.

Araujo, from Curitiba, Brazil, wound up winning both events held on the west side of City Hall.

"For me it was a pleasure to skate here," Araujo said through an interpreter. "I’m happy because these are real street skaters and you get a lot of respect by winning a contest like this one."

The 24-year old, who now lives in Los Angeles, has been skating for about 12 years.

Araujo grabbed the gold in the skateboard park competition in 1996, 1997 and 2001.

"Now I can truly say I’ve skated everywhere," a visibly excited Araujo said. "It’s very exciting."

In the street competition, each of the skaters makes three 75-second runs over benches, rails, ledges and stairs. Of the six scores given by the judges the highest and the lowest scores are dropped and the four remaining scores are averaged. The best of the two scores are averaged.

Araujo led the street competition after each run. His average best score was 89.6.

"I knew I could do well," he said. "I just had to go out and relax."

Another Brazilian Wagner Ramos was second with a score of 83.6 and 17-year old Virginian Kyle Berard was third. Berard averaged 83.0.

"I feel kind of lucky," Berard said. "I don’t know how I skated. I didn’t watch anybody else’s runs because I get nervous when I do that."

Last year’s winner of the skateboard street competition, Philadelphia’s Kerry Getz, was eighth out of eight skaters with a best score of 77.3. Fellow Philadelphians Rick Oyola was sixth in the street and Josh Kalis placed eighth in the tricks competition.

For Getz, besides the gold medallist year, he was second in the best trick and park events. As a result, Getz was named the Athlete of the X Games.

Araujo and Ramos finished first and second in the best trick competition. Californian Dayne Brummet was third.

The best trick competition is comprised of three 15-minute sessions with the skaters setting each of the courses. Judges rank each of the skaters based on originality, difficulty, style, height, distance and execution.

In this year’s event, skaters slide down a rail on their boards in the first trick. The second trick saw the competitors skating on a ramp and jumping over a large, orange traffic cone and landing before a set of stairs. The final trick featured the skaters going down a ramp and up and over a large, square marble pillar.

"I was pleased with the course," Brummet said. "I have no complaints. Everything was good. We asked them to make some changes on the hand rail and they did."

Eric Koston, last year’s silver medallist in the street competition and bronze medallist in the best trick, didn’t compete this year because he was building a skateboard park.

X games officials estimated about 8,600 people packed the skateboard competition.