13-Year-Old Momiji Nishiya Is the First Olympic Champion in Women’s Skateboarding


“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,” she told The Guardian after the event.

Heading into the inaugural event, Nishiya’s medal chances looked bright thanks to her performance at the Street World Championships in Rome, where she earned silver on June 6.

Nishiya’s win completed a gold medal street-skateboard sweep on home soil for Japan. On Sunday, Yuto Horigome won the men’s competition to become the first-ever Olympic champion in the event.

Many of the competitors celebrated the performances in Tokyo as a shining example of the growth for women’s skateboarding, a sport that has been historically overshadowed by the men’s event.

“It’s going to change the whole game,” U.S. skater Mariah Duran told ESPN. “This is like opening at least one door to, you know, many skaters who are having the conversations with their parents, who want to start skating.”

“I’m not surprised if there’s probably already like 500 girls getting a board today,” she said.

On August 4, women’s skateboarding will continue with the park competition, featuring another 13-year-old phenom, Britain’s Sky Brown, and Team USA’s Brighton Zeuner, the youngest gold medalist at the 2017 X Games.

This post originally appeared on SELF.



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