13-year-old Momiji Nishiya made Olympic history on Monday morning when she became the first-ever woman to win a gold medal in skateboarding.
The young Japanese star was amongst a trio of teenage medal winners in the street event which is making its debut at the Tokyo 2020 games. She finished with a score of 15.26 at the Ariake Urban Sports Park.
Fellow 13-year-old Rayssa Leal of Brazil took silver while 16-year-old Funa Nakayama, also of Japan, took third. This gave the podium an average age of just 14 years and 191 days.
Women’s Olympic #skateboarding street podium:
— Olympics (@Olympics) July 26, 2021
🇯🇵 Nishiya Momiji: 13 years old
🇧🇷 Rayssa Leal: 13 years old
🇯🇵 Nakayama Funa: 16 years old
🤯
Nishya’s remarkable win came just a day after her fellow countryman Yuto Horigome also won gold in the men’s street skateboarding event.
Nishya is now the youngest person to ever win a gold medal for Japan at the Olympics but is not the youngest gold medallist ever at an Olympics. That honour belongs to US diver Majorie Gestring who was just 13 years 268 days old. Nishiya, in comparison, is 13 years and 330 days old, however, if second-place Leal had won she would have taken Gestring’s record.
Regardless of what records were and weren’t set, it is still incredible that someone so young could already be the best in the world at their respective sport and Nishya has predictably won a lot of supporters.
13yo Momiji Nishira from Osaka wins the street #skateboarding event in #Tokyo2020.
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) July 26, 2021
13yo Rayssa Leal is 2nd.
❤️ pic.twitter.com/H7I5AjXgQy
They are babies dominating the biggest stage. Congrats NISHIYA MOMIJI and RAYSSA LEAL 🥲 pic.twitter.com/3T7VYNbOSg
— kae (@istanthesefolk) July 26, 2021
Congratulations 🇯🇵Momiji Nishiya🇯🇵 gold medal in #skateboarding at only 13 years old pic.twitter.com/wbHWFfOpt4
— Iruk (@IRUKLugo) July 26, 2021
Two 13-year-olds taking home gold & silver for street skateboarding…iconic!!!
— Kat Moon 孟祥悅 (@katxmoon) July 26, 2021
Momiji Nishiya & Rayssa Leal pic.twitter.com/Lx6fFEzTcR
Last March, Momiji Nishiya graduated from elementary school… pic.twitter.com/KxMnIsMsSC
— Hiroko Tabuchi (@HirokoTabuchi) July 25, 2021
WOW - 13-year-old Nishiya Momiji wins gold with 15.26, and fellow 13-year-old Rayssa Leal grabs silver with 14.64 in the women's street #skateboarding final! Nakayama Funa rounds out the podium with 14.49. #Tokyo2020
— Dani Brown (@itsdanibrown) July 26, 2021
The first women's #Olympics #Skateboarding medallists are:
— ZENIA D'CUNHA (@ZENIADCUNHA) July 26, 2021
Gold - Nishiya Momiji, 13-year-old from Japan
Silver - Rayssa Leal, 13-year-old from Brazil
Bronze - Funa Nakayama, 16-year-old from Japan
What an amazing, gravity-defying competition to watch!
SHE’S SO COOL pic.twitter.com/DF8lxf9I9H
— iana murray (@ianamurray) July 26, 2021
20 years older than a podium. This is it, isn’t it? This is the end? https://t.co/fIMKexDWvf
— Vithushan Ehantharajah (@Vitu_E) July 26, 2021
Meanwhile, Leal’s first taste of fame and glory, in a viral Vine clip (remember Vine?) has resurfaced.
Lmao she just won a silver medal at the Olympics https://t.co/EntRRw3bGK
— Mrs. Detective Pikajew, Esq. (@clapifyoulikeme) July 26, 2021
However, the aforementioned record from Gestring could still fall at these Olympics when Team GB’s Sky Brown, who is just 13 years and 28 days old, competes in the skateboarding park event on 4th August. Unbelievably, she’s not the youngest person in that event. Brown will be up against Japan’s Kokona Hiraki, who is 12 years old and 342 days.
