Japan’s Yoshizawa and Akama win top 2 in street skateboarding at Paris Games, Leal takes bronze

Akama was in first place after landing her first two tricks before Yoshizawa skidded down the track’s large rails on her fourth attempt, scoring 96.49 to pass her teammate.

“I wasn’t so much happy as relieved that I made it,” she said.

The trick, which drew cheers from the crowd, produced the highest score of the day.

Yoshizawa, who is 14, was the last to finish the competition and had already won gold before attempting her fifth trick. But she landed it anyway as a kind of victory lap — raising her arms high above her head as she rolled toward her coach in celebration.

Akama took an early lead in the final after posting an 89.26 on her second run. And when the 15-year-old posted a 92.62 on her first trick, she looked set to be the one to beat before Yoshizawa’s late surge.

The 16-year-old Leal, who needed a late run in the preliminary round to reach the final, also made a run in the final round to claim another medal after winning silver at the Tokyo Games. Leal was the youngest Brazilian ever to compete at the Olympics when she was 13.

Leal, who had 6.6 million followers on Instagram after her breakthrough performance in Tokyo, scored 92.88 with her second trick but failed to land her next two tricks, leading to a dramatic ending.

“When I need a trick, I always get it in the last lap and this time was no different,” she said.

She raised her arms to cheer on a crowd of fans in Brazil’s colors, many of whom waved the country’s flag, before executing her final trick attempt for a score of 88.83.

Yoshizawa is thrilled that all of Sunday’s medal winners were teenagers.

“People in their teenage years can actually perform and reach a high level at the Olympics and I think that’s amazing,” she said.

China’s 14-year-old Cui Chenxi came in fourth, with Americans Poe Pinson and Paige Heyn finishing in the next two spots.

Funa Nakayama, the bronze medalist in Tokyo, finished in seventh place after failing to perform any of her five tricks.

“I felt like there were areas where I didn’t have enough practice and also areas where I was too precise,” she said. “I need to rethink and not be too fixated.”

Australia’s Chloe Covell finished last after also failing to land a single trick.

The event, which took place on the outdoor grounds of La Concorde Urban Park, was the first of this year’s skateboarding competitions after the men’s street competition was moved from Saturday to Monday due to rain.

Yoshizawa was asked if she noticed the beautiful views from the park, including the Eiffel Tower.

“I was too focused on skateboarding (and) I wasn’t looking at anything else,” she said. “When I got on stage, I could finally enjoy the scenery.”

AP Olympic Games: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games