Sky Brown becomes Team GB’s youngest Olympic medal winner - after claiming skateboarding bronze in Tokyo Games

The teenager claimed the bronze medal in the women’s skateboard park event at the Games
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Thirteen-year-old Sky Brown has become Great Britain’s youngest ever Olympic medallist.

The teenager claimed the bronze medal in the women’s skateboard park event at the Tokyo Games.

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Great Britain's Sky Brown celebrates winning the bronze medal during the Women's Park Final at Ariake Sports Park on the twelfth day of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games (PA)Great Britain's Sky Brown celebrates winning the bronze medal during the Women's Park Final at Ariake Sports Park on the twelfth day of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games (PA)
Great Britain's Sky Brown celebrates winning the bronze medal during the Women's Park Final at Ariake Sports Park on the twelfth day of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games (PA)

How Sky Brown won a bronze medal in the skateboarding

In a remarkable finish, Brown kick flipped her way into the history books by posting a score of 56.47 in her third and final attempt to come in behind Sakura Yosozumi and her 12-year-old Japanese counterpart Kokona Hiraki.

Yosozumi, 19, topped the podium with a score of 60.09, while Hiraki’s 59.04 proved enough for her to claim silver – eclipsing Brown to become the youngest Olympic medallist in 85 years.

Brown’s achievement is all the more stunning considering the fractured skull and broken bones she suffered during a horrific fall in training last year.

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Why Sky Brown decided to represent Team GB

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Brown was born in Miyazaki, Japan, to a Japanese mother and British father.

She competed at the US Open in 2016 at the age of eight, and first elected to compete for Great Britain in 2018.

Brown, who speaks fluent Japanese, told the AFP news agency that that she decided to represent Great Britain because “the British Skateboarding Association, they told me 'no pressure, just have fun and get out there’."

What Sky Brown said after winning skateboarding bronze medal

Brown was delighted with her bronze medal, telling the BBC: “It’s incredible, it feels unreal. I’m so happy to be here.

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“I fell twice, that made the last (run) even better. It was a super sick final. It was insane.”

Asked what she planned to do next, she replied: “Hang out with some friends and party.”

Sky Brown’s Instagram and YouTube fame and Dancing With The Stars

Brown arrived at the Games with plenty of profile, having won the US version of Dancing With The Stars: Juniors in 2018.

She also has over 1m followers on Instagram and her YouTube videos have been watched thousands of times.

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Brown expressed her ambition to achieve the almost unprecedented feat of competing in two sports – skateboarding and surfing – at the Games, something from which she was subsequently dissuaded.

What medals Sky Brown has previously won

In 2019, Brown finished third at the World Skateboarding Championship, and the following year she effectively secured her Olympic qualification by picking up a bronze medal at the Park World Championships in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Last month, she warmed up for the Games by winning gold in the prestigious X Games, although neither of her key Olympic challengers, Okamoto and Hiraki, were present.

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