(LtoR) Silver medallist Japan's Kokona Hiraki, gold medallist Australia's Arisa Trew and bronze medallist Britain's Sky Brown pose during the podium ceremony for the women's park skateboarding final during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at La Concorde in Paris on August 6, 2024. (Photo by Odd ANDERSEN / AFP)
Australian teenage skateboarding sensation Arisa Trew won Olympic gold in the women's park event on Tuesday, edging out Japan's Cocona Hiraki in silver and Britain's injured Sky Brown in bronze.
The 14-year-old Trew, in her trademark pink helmet, nailed a high-risk and high-speed final round to leap to the top of the rankings, bringing the crowd to their feet at a sun-drenched Place de la Concorde stadium.
Hiraki, who won a silver at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics when the event was first introduced, delivered two typically smooth and high-scoring runs but was eclipsed by Trew's spectacular last routine.
Brown, also a bronze medallist in Tokyo, made the podium again in the same position despite dislocating her shoulder less than a fortnight ago and performing with heavy strapping.
Trew, a big-ramp specialist, has pushed the frontiers of women's skateboarding in her short career.
She was the first to land a 720 in competition — two mid-air rotations — and then a 900 — two and a half rotations — in May this year.
She had said before the Games that spectators should look out for her less risky 540s, which she landed effortlessly in her final round.
"I'm just going to improve on everything," she said in June ahead of the Games.
"When people see me in Paris I want them to recognise me because of my skating and my 540s and my pink helmet, and just me being me."
AFP
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