Rookie rules roost on X Games’ final day

LOS ANGELES – An X Games dominated by age and experience finally got a dose of youth on closing day.

Fifteen-year-old rookie Pedro Barros beat 37-year-old veteran Andy MacDonald to win Skateboard Park on Sunday at a games previously dominated by repeat winners and older athletes.

Skateboard Park was designed to allow young skaters versed in street style to compete with the older riders of vert ramps.

Ryan Sheckler was the youngest winner of this event at 13 in 2003, but the Brazilian Barros becomes the first athlete who wasn’t born when the X Games began to win a gold.

McDonald won silver with a score of 81 and 17-year-old Kevin Kowalski won bronze with a 78.

Earlier in the day, Jamie Bestwick won gold in BMX Freestyle Vert for the fourth straight year.

Pierre-Luc Gagnon won his third straight gold in Skateboard Vert and added another in Best Trick.

Daniel Dhers won his third gold in four years in BMX Freestyle Park.