Japanese Teens Shine in Women’s Skateboarding at Paris Olympics

The women’s skateboard street final at the Paris 2024 Olympics wrapped up on Sunday, and it was an exciting day for skateboarding fans. With the sun shining bright after a rainy opening ceremony, eight talented young skaters competed for the gold.

Among them were three outstanding competitors from Japan: Coco Yoshizawa, who is just 14 years old, Liz Akama, 15, and the Tokyo 2020 bronze medalist Funa Nakayama, 19. Japan had filled its quota with three athletes, all of whom made it to the finals.

The other skaters in the final included 14-year-old Chenxi Cui from China, Chloe Covell, also 14, from Australia, and American skaters Paige Heyn and Poe Pinson, aged 16 and 19 respectively. Brazil was represented by 16-year-old Rayssa Leal, who won a silver medal at the last Olympics.

In a thrilling competition, Yoshizawa took home the gold with a score of 272.75, followed closely by Akama, who scored 265.95. Leal managed to snag the bronze, finishing with 253.37 points. With this victory, Japan has now won gold in women’s skateboarding for both Olympic Games where it has been featured.

The crowd at Place de la Concorde was buzzing with excitement, especially when Leal scored high points with her tricks, receiving loud cheers from her supporters waving Brazilian flags.

Interestingly, there was a notable absence of some top-ranked athletes from Japan, as Momiji Nishiya, the reigning gold medalist from Tokyo, did not qualify. Still, the excitement in the arena was palpable with all the talented young skaters giving their best.

Leal proved her strength under pressure, landing her final trick and moving up to the podium after starting out in fifth place. It showed just how fierce the competition was, with each skater giving it their all on the course.

This year’s scoring system has also changed from the last Olympics. Instead of the previous method, scores are now given from 0 to 100, with the total comprised of the best run and two top tricks, making it more competitive.

With the men’s street skateboarding event set to take place on Monday, the excitement in Paris continues as fans await to see if Japan can further dominate the sport.