skateboarding

Sakura Yosozumi Wins Gold in Women's Park Skateboarding

Yosozumi, 19, was the oldest medal-winner by more than six years

Sakura Yosozumi of Japan competes in the women's park skateboarding finals at the 2020 Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan.
AP Photo/Ben Curtis Sakura Yosozumi of Japan competes in the women’s park skateboarding finals at the 2020 Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan.

Japan's Sakura Yosozumi won the first ever Olympic gold medal in women's park skateboarding on Wednesday in Tokyo. Yosozumi, 19, was the oldest medal-winner by more than six years. 

In park skateboarding, five judges evaluate competitors on three 45-second runs using a 0-100-point scale. The highest and lowest scores are dropped, and the remaining three scores are averaged to calculate a score for each run. An athlete's best score out of the three runs counts for their overall score.

Yosozumi, who was fourth in prelims, put up a huge 60.09 in her first run of the final that practically sealed the win. Japanese teammate Cocona Hiraki, 12, took silver with a 59.04; she scored a 58.05 on her first run, 59.04 on her second, and 5.70 on her third.

Sky Brown, who turned 13 less than a month ago, took the bronze with a 56.47. She scored a 47.53 on her first run, 47.37 on her second, and big 56.47 on her third. Brown's mother is Japanese and her father is British; she splits her time between the United States and Japan.

Brown and Cocona qualified in the No. 2 and No. 3 spots, respectively, out of prelims. They are now the youngest Olympic medalists since 1936. 

World No. 1 Misugu Okamoto, 15, qualified first out of prelims but missed the podium in the final, finishing fourth. Her highest run score was a 53.58.

American Bryce Wettstein advanced to the final but teammates Brighton Zeuner and Jordyn Barratt missed out, finishing in 11th and 12th in prelims, respectively. Wettstein finished sixth with a 44.50 on her first run.

Two 13-year-olds, hometown favorite Momiji Nishiya and Brazil's Rayssa Leal, topped the podium in the women's street contest on July 26. 

FULL RESULTS: Prelims | Final

Copyright NBC Olympics – Tokyo
Exit mobile version