Published 2024-07-28 18.35
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PARIS. Eight finalists – all teenagers.
In the end, it was a Japanese child who won gold and a Brazilian child celebrity who won a medal – just like in the last Olympics.
14-year-old Coco Yoshizawa struck with a trick that earned an unparalleled 96.49 points.
– I wanted the gold, so I just had to go for it, says the gold medalist.
When the skateboard made its debut in the context of the Olympics three years ago in Tokyo, it was the home nation’s Momiji Nishiya, 13, who took home the gold medal.
You would think that a now 16-year-old Momiji Nishiya would be ready to defend it in Paris.
But she didn’t even manage to qualify for the games.
Instead, it was new teenage talent representing Japan (plus reigning Olympic bronze medalist Funa Nakayama, 19) in Sunday’s Street final at La Concorde. Coco Yoshizawa, 14, and Liz Akama, 15, topped the list of eight teenagers (no, no one over 19 advanced) who advanced from the qualifiers earlier in the day.
Among them the 2021 Olympic silver medalist – Brazilian superstar Rayssa Leal, 16 (with 6.7 million followers on Instagram).
It was noticed in the stands.
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fullscreen chevron-rightnextCoco Yoshizawa.
1 / 2 Photo: Vadim Ghirda / AP
“Skateboard’s Pelé” took bronze
When Leal (dubbed the “Pelé of skateboarding” by skateboarding icon Tony Hawk) was introduced before the final, there was a lot of cheering in the stands. Stands that were largely comprised of yellow-clad Brazilians.
After the first two final rounds, she was fifth. But after pulling off a 92.88 on his second of five trick attempts, the crowd erupted in cheers.
– Having this crowd here, it felt like the Copa in Brazil. It was crazy. But I was happy to be here and skate in Paris. I have no words to describe it, says Leal
Having said that, headphones were still on when it was gametime.
– I listened to trap music in Portuguese. There were so many people here and the noise was crazy. So I wanted to run headphones to stay focused.
Leal offered another successful trick before the competition was over. The 88.83 points she got for that took her up to a bronze medal, ahead of China’s Chenxi Cui.
But it wasn’t enough against the Japanese.
“If I were to win then…”
Coco Yoshizawa won with 272.75 total points. This after, among other things, an incomparable fourth trick that gave a whopping 96.49 points.
– If I’m going to win, I need to produce something at that level. I wanted the gold, so I just had to go for it, says the 14-year-old to a gathered Japanese press corps about the choice of the trick.
The silver also went to Japan, via Liz Akama on 265.95 points.
– I have mixed feelings. I’m happy for the medal, but I would have liked a gold medal, says the 15-year-old.
The medal league
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No medals awarded for selected sport.
