Tokyo 2020 - 13-year-old Momiji Nishiya of Japan takes first ever women's skateboarding gold medal at Olympic Games
/dnl.eurosport.com/sd/img/placeholder/eurosport_logo_1x1.png){kind=logo}
Updated 26/07/2021 at 07:32 GMT
Nishiya was joined on the podium by two fellow teenagers - Rayssa Leal, 13 years old, of Brazil and team-mate Nakayama Funa, a comparative veteran at 16. The youngster's victory follows that of Yuto Horigome earlier in the Olympics, with hosts Japan taking both gold medals in the street events at skateboarding's debut Olympic Games.
‘Wow!’ – 13-year-old Momiji Nishiya secures gold with incredible move
Momiji Nishiya, 13, took a sensational gold medal for host nation Japan in the first ever women's skateboarding event at an Olympic Games.
Nishiya topped an all-teenage podium in the women's street event at the Ariake Urban Sports Park.
Her triumph follows that of team-mate Yuti Horigome, who took gold in the men's equivalent earlier at Tokyo 2020.
/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2021/07/26/3182065-65196568-2560-1440.jpg)
Rayssa Leal, Momiji Nishiya, Funa Nakayama - the youngest Olympics podium in history?
Image credit: Getty Images
In a remarkable victory, Nishiya produced three excellent tricks to score highly in the second half of the street competition.
Rayssa Leal of Brazil, also 13, took silver, while Nishiya's compatriot Nakayama Funa secured bronze.
Alexis Sablone (USA) and Roos Zwetsloot (Netherlands) had appeared well-placed to jostle for gold after the run section of the event.
Sablone consolidated her position of strength after scoring 5.01 for her third trick, and at that point seemed likely to storm to gold.
But the American failed to land either of her final two tricks, eventually finishing in fourth when a solid but unspectacular trick might have been enough to seal the title.
Zwetsloot, meanwhile, could only land one of her tricks to fade to fifth.
The result should be another boon to skateboarding's popularity in Japan.
/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2021/07/16/3174455-65044548-2560-1440.jpg)
Reaching the Sky Episode 1: Origins - Sky Brown's rise to become Britain's youngest ever athlete
Skateboarding makes its Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020, with Great Britain's Sky Brown due to compete in the women's park event later in the Games.
The 13-year-old could also contend for a medal, and will likely be buoyed by the success of Nishiya.
Watch every unmissable moment live from Tokyo 2020 across Eurosport, Eurosport app and discovery+. Download the Eurosport app for iOS and Android now.
Scan me
Related Topics
Share this article
Advertisement
Advertisement