The first skateboarding event of the Paris 2024 Olympic medal is in the books, with the women’s street final concluding Sunday evening in Paris.
Throughout a disruption from the rainy climate that noticeable the Games’ Opening rite on Friday and forced changes to events.
The postponement of Saturday’s men’s skateboard street final to Monday—Sunday was hot and sunny in Paris.
It was a long day for the eight women who made Sunday’s final out of the 22 who started the prelims at noon Paris time.
After a three-hour qualifier throughout the newest part of the day, the final jolted off at 5:00 p.m.
Each National Olympic Committee (NOC) could qualify up to three athletes in each of the four Olympic skateboarding events.
Japan, which boasted three of the top four skaters in the world in the lead-up to Paris, maxed out its allotted quotas.
Olympic medal won:
And all three women Coco Yoshizawa, 14; Liz Akama, 15; and Tokyo 2020 bronze medalist Fauna Nakayama, 19 made it through to the final.
Rounding out the field of eight in the final were China’s Chenxi Cui, 14; Australia’s Chloe Covell, 14; the USA’s Paige Heyn, 16.
Brazil’s Rayssa Leal, 16, who was the Tokyo 2020 silver medalist; and the USA’s Poe Pinson, 19.
Momiji Nishiya, 16, ranked seventh in the world ahead of Paris 2024, was the Tokyo 2020 gold medalist.
Akama and Nakayama were ranked Nos. 1, 2 and 4, respectively, Nishiya could not earn a qualifying place for Paris.
With Yoshizawa’s win, Japan has now taken gold in this event on both occasions it’s been held at the Olympics.
Leal took bronze to become, for now, the only female skateboarder with two Olympic medals.
Park skateboarders Kokona Hiraki and Sakura Yosozumi of Japan and Sky Brown of Great Britain.
Could join Leal in that rarefied air if they can make the podium in their event next week.
Yoshizawa and Akama were the top two qualifiers, respectively. In Sunday’s women’s street prelims
1 (Yoshizawa) and No. 2 (Akama) in the world.
