13-yr-old becomes one of the youngest gold medal winners in Olympic history

Sports Desk

Published: July 26, 2021, 06:55 PM

13-yr-old becomes one of the youngest gold medal winners in Olympic history

When the three athletes on an Olympic podium have a combined age of 42, you know -- in the words of English rock band The Who -- that the kids are alright.

That was the case as women's street skateboarding made its bow at the Olympics, with 13-year-old Momiji Nishiya of Japan taking gold ahead of Brazil's Rayssa Leal -- also 13 -- and 16-year-old Funa Nakayama, also from Japan.

If organizers wanted to engage a younger audience by adding skateboarding to the Olympic program, then it was mission accomplished at Tokyo's Ariake Urban Sports Park.

Nishiya, who becomes one of the youngest ever Olympic champions, moved into the gold medal position with her fifth and last trick in Monday's final. Her score of 15.26 saw her leapfrog Leal (14.64) and Nakayama (14.49).

"I'm simply very, very delighted. I am so happy," Nishiya told reporters, adding that she felt her success had "nothing to do with her age."

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