Teenage Olympians take street skateboarding medals in Tokyo
Skateboarding appeared at the Tokyo Olympics for the first time in 2021
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A trio of teenage Olympians stood on the medal podium on Monday after skateboarding’s women’s street event.
Japan’s Momiji Nishiya, 13, won the gold medal. Brazil’s Rayssa Leal, 13, won the silver medal. Japan’s Funa Nakayama, 16, won the bronze medal. Between the men’s and women's street skateboarding events, Japan took home three of the nine medals. Brazil had two.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Simply delighted," Nishiya said after winning gold.
Momiji Nishiya of Japan reacts after winning the women's street skateboarding finals at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 26, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
Asked how she was going to celebrate the gold, the young girl said she’d ask her mother to treat her to dinner of Japanese yakiniku barbecue.
Leal followed Brazil’s Kelvin Hoeffler in picking up the silver. The two skateboarding competitors became the youngest medalists to represent the South American country.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}US ARMY OLYMPIAN AMBER ENGLISH TAKES HOME GOLD MEDAL IN SKEET SHOOTING
"Now I can convince all my friends to skateboard everywhere with me," Leal said.
Both men’s and women’s skaters have been focused on growing the sport at the Olympics as well as trying to get onto the medal podium. Canada’s Annie Guglia said she didn’t see any girls skate when she first started skating.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"And I won, because I was the only one," Guglia, now 30, said. "We have come a long way."
From left, silver medalist Rayssa Leal of Brazil, gold medalist Momiji Nishiya of Japan, center, and bronze medalist Funa Nakayama of Japan show their medals won in the women's street skateboarding finals at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 26, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
The Olympians predicted a larger field when the Olympics head to Paris in 2024.
"It’s going to change the whole game," American Mariah Dunn said. "This is like opening at least one door to, you know, many skaters who are having the conversations with their parents, who want to start skating.
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"I’m not surprised if there’s probably already like 500 girls getting a board today."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.