Japanese skateboarders dominate the Paris Olympics, teenage girls reign supreme

Japanese teenagers are making waves in the world of skateboarding, dominating the sport for the second straight Olympics. Fourteen-year-old Coco Yoshizawa won the gold medal in the street event at the Paris Olympics, beating 15-year-old Japanese figure skater Liz Akama. Their scores were significantly higher than the rest of the competition.

Yuto Horigame, a 25-year-old male street sensation, defended his Olympic title with a near-perfect score, beating American competitors Jagger Eaton and Nyjah Huston. Horigame and Team Japan were favorites for the Paris Olympics, following their successful debut at the Tokyo Games three years ago.

At the Tokyo Games, Momoji Nishiya, then 13, won the inaugural women's street gold, captivating the Japanese public. Sakura Yosozumi, then 19, and Kokona Hiraki, then 12, topped the women's park event, with Britain's Sky Brown, then 13, taking bronze. All three are competing in this year's park trial.

Despite the country's strict laws banning skateboarding in occupied areas and its aging population, the sport's inclusion in the Olympics has sparked greater interest and resources for young skaters. The number of skateparks in Japan has almost doubled since 2021, reaching 475, according to the Japan Skatepark Association.

The rise of Japanese skateboarders is surprising, given the country's typical disapproval of public displays of the sport. However, Team Japan's success suggests that the country's focus on training young skaters, with more skateparks featuring competition-like sections, is paying off.

The success of the young Japanese skaters is part of a wider trend in women's skateboarding, which is dominated by teenage athletes. Sixteen-year-old Rayssa Leal of Brazil, for example, won bronze in Paris, while China's 14-year-old Cui Chenxi narrowly missed out on a medal.

However, despite the competitive nature of the sport, Hiraki, who turns 16 next month, stressed the importance of remembering skateboarding's roots as a fun, non-competitive activity. He expressed mixed feelings about the sport's inclusion in the Olympics, fearing that the sense of rivalry could overshadow the joy of skateboarding.