Momiji Nishiya, 13, crowned skateboarding’s first female Olympic champion

Japanese starlet Momiji Nishiya became the youngest gold medalist at Tokyo 2020 so far and the first female gold medalist in skateboarding history after producing a sensational display at Ariake Sports Park on Monday.

The women’s street event consisted of ‘run’ and ‘trick’ events and featured eight competitors including three Japanese. The hosts eclipsed their opposition under the intense sun to swell Japan’s considerable medal tally.

All three medalists are teenagers and the sport’s youthful appeal was one the key factors in the skateboarding being officially added to the Olympic program in 2016 and included for the first time at Tokyo 2020. The average age of the female skateboarding medalists was 14 and will have helped to attract a whole new audience to the Olympics along with inspiring a huge surge in participation in Japan after the exploits of their leading skaters.

After Japan’s Yuto Horigome hit the headlines on Sunday by becoming the first skateboarding Olympic champion, his female compatriots followed suit on Monday and underlined the hosts’ skill and strength in depth when it comes to the new Olympic sport.

Osaka-based Nishiya, who was born in 2007, took silver at the World Skate World Championships earlier this year in Rome but cruised to victory in her homeland to keep Japan’s perfect skateboarding record intact at Tokyo 2020.

“I didn’t think I could win, but everyone around me cheered me on so I’m glad I was able to find my groove,” said the Olympic champion.

Japan’s fifth Olympic champion at Tokyo 2020 scored an overall total of 15.26 to ease to gold with a stylish display while Brazilian trickster Rayssa Leal, 13, finished second with a score of 14.64. Japan showed their skateboarding supremacy in the women’s ranks with a second podium spot after Funa Nakayama, 16, won bronze with a return of 14.49.

Nishiya became one of the youngest champions in Olympic history. The record is held by Greek gymnast Dimitrios Loundras, who at the age of just 10 years and 218 days, won gold at the first-ever modern Olympics in 1896.

The skateboarding competition will now take a break until Wednesday 4 August when it returns with the women’s park event at the Ariake Sports Park.

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