NPR


 

Thirteen-year-old Momiji Nishiya dazzled during the Olympic women's skateboarding street competition. She skated through a park of rails, ramps and stairs meant to mimic city street parks at the Ariake Urban Sports Park.

When she finished, she became Japan's youngest-ever gold medal winner and one of the youngest Olympic champions of all time. Nishiya shared the podium with two other teenagers.

It "could very well be the youngest Olympic podium ever," the official Olympics news outlet says.

Nishiya's win also sealed Japan's domination of the street competition. It debuted at these Summer Olympics and organizers hope it infuses the global sports event with youthful energy. In fact, half of the women in the eight-skateboarder final were 16 or younger.

Brazil's Rayssa Leal, a few months younger than Nishiya, took silver. Another Japanese skateboarder Funa Nakayama, 16, won bronze.

Nishiya's victory came the day after Japan's Yuto Horigome, 22, took the gold in the men's street competition.

The sport is one of several new games at the Olympics this year including surfing, three on three basketball and rock climbing.