TOKYO — 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’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.
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