Downhill skateboarder has high hopes ahead of SEA Games

While most people are familiar with street skateboarding, downhill skateboarding is an entirely different event.

In downhill skateboarding, one would need a longer and wider skateboard with bigger wheels.

One would also need a single-minded inclination towards speed.

And for downhill skateboarder Jaime de Lange, a champion at a winter series in Colorado, USA, all eyes are on the prize this 30th Southeast Asian Games.

"When they said you want to get a gold for the Philippines? I was like, 'Yes'," De Lange said in Chino Trinidad's report on "24 Oras."

"I didnt realize it was an option," he added.

De Lange said representing the Philippines was a huge honor.

"It's like realizing a dream I never had," De Lange said.

For De Lange, the addition of downhill skateboarding in the SEA Games is a big step for it to be recognized as a mainstream sport. 

"We have a platform not just to have fun but to make the Philippines proud and to elevate the sport," De Lange said.

"If we do this right, if we represent the country right, maybe we can get to the Olympics," he added. —NB, GMA News