Sakura Yosozumi

TOKYO 2020: FIRST EVER WOMEN’S OLYMPIC SKATE PARK EVENT RECAP

Among everything written and said about skateboarding’s inclusion in the Olympics, there has certainly been a sense that whatever the real or imagined drawbacks might be, they didn’t apply to the nascent women’s scene.

Pictured: Women's Park Gold Medalist Sakura Yosozumi (JPN) in the finals at Tokyo 2020, at Ariake Urban Sports Park, Tokyo, Japan, August 4, 2021. Image credit: / World Skateboarding / @brycekanights

SAKURA YOSOZUMI WINS WOMEN'S PARK SKATEBOARDING GOLD FOR JAPAN, TEAMMATE KOKONA HIRAKI TAKES SILVER

Japanese skateboarders clinch a double victory at the podium, whilst Great Britain's Sky Brown takes bronze

YOSOZUMI Sakura won gold in the women's park skateboarding finals cementing Japan as a new powerhouse in the Olympic sport which made its debut at Tokyo 2020.

The 19-year-old skateboarding phenom clinched victory at Ariake Urban Sports Park after her sensational performance in Round 1 where she hit a couple of 540s and carved through the course with superb slides and grinds to score 60.09 and win the first ever gold in women's park for Japan.

Pictured: Women's Park Skateboarding Podium at Tokyo 2020, L-R: Cocona Hiraki with Silver, Sakura Yosozumi with Gold & Sky Brown with Bronze.
Source: olympics.com/tokyo-2020
Image credit: @worldskatesb / @brycekanights

MEET THE SKATEBOARD TEENAGE PRODIGIES READY CREATE HISTORY IN THE PARK AT TOKYO 2020

Skateboarding has already seen a wealth of young talent take over the Olympic Games in the street discipline, but attention now turns to park, where there is a new batch of teen sensations ready to take centre stage.

Park skateboarding will introduce itself to the Olympic stage on Wednesday (August 4).

The street discipline has already made headlines for the amount of young stars taking the Tokyo 2020 Olympics by storm in 2021, and park is ready to follow suit.

Fans will be in for a treat, as the top four ranked female park skateboarders in the world will be on show: Sky Brown, OKAMOTO Misugu, Poppy Starr Olsen and YOSOZUMI Sakura .

Here's a few things to know about the four phenoms who have already etched their names into skating history just by qualifying for the Games.

Source: olympics.com/tokyo-2020
Pictured: Sky Brown during Women’s Practice for Tokyo 2020 Olympics, July 31, 2021. Image credit: @worldskatesb / @brycekanights @atibaphoto

GET TO KNOW WHO IS SKATING IN THE FIRST OLYMPIC WOMEN’S PARK CONTEST

The first real rumblings of Japan’s entry into the world of contest skating were felt in the years 2017/18. Nobody really comes from nowhere in an activity like skateboarding, rather what is meant is that young skaters who emerge off the radar of an industry and media still heavily skewed towards California still retain the ability to mystify.

Source: www.skateboarding.worldskate.org // Words: Niall Neeson
Image credit: Atiba Jefferson, Jaime Owens and Bryce Kanights