Sky rockets into record books... at just 13
Skateboarder is Britain’s youngest medal winner with bronze at 13
AN EARTHQUAKE may have shaken Tokyo this week, but it was a 13-yearold girl on a skateboard who triggered the sporting tremors for Team GB.
Sky Brown landed bronze at the Ariake Urban Park to become the nation’s youngest medal winner.
It comes just 14 months after she cheated death after fracturing her skull in a horror crash.
Japan’s Kokona Hiraki, 12, became the youngest Olympic medallist in 85 years when she won silver.
Now ambitious Sky, who speaks with a US twang, is going for double gold at Paris 2024 where she hopes to test her precious mettle on a surfboard as well.
By then her nine-year-old brother Ocean is set to be pushing for a place in the GB skateboarding squad.
Shocked
Sky sealed bronze with a stunning third run in the inaugural final after lying fourth following two crashes.
She nailed the challenging kickflip indy – which involves turning the board 360 degrees and catching it in one hand, under the feet, while in midair then landing on it again.
The trick wiped out her first two runs. Ecstatic Sky said: “I was a little shocked after the first run.Then after the second fall, I was like: ‘Am I gonna make it?’
“Sakura [Yosozumi, Japan’s gold medal winner] told me: ‘You got it, Sky.We know you’re gonna make it’. That really made me feel better. It was a super sick final. All the girls were ripping it, it was insane. I’m so stoked. The medal feels unreal, like a dream. I can’t wait to show it to my family and friends.”
Sky was born in Japan but lives in San Diego in the US with British dad and coach Stuart, a skateboarder and marketing executive from Cornwall, and Japanese mother Miko.
She hopes to inspire other youngsters, saying: “I really hope I inspire young girls. People aren’t too young that they can’t do it. If you believe in yourself you can do anything.
“Anyone can do skateboarding. You don’t have to be of a certain height or age.You can do it whenever you want. You’ve just got to skate and go for it.”
Yesterday’s exploits capped an extraordinary comeback for Sky after her crash in California last year.
She flew off her skateboard at the top of a high ramp in training and landed head first, fracturing her skull and breaking her hand and wrist.
Sky was airlifted to hospital unconscious and Stuart, 49, admitted his daughter was “lucky to be alive”.
The teenager’s success will see her earning potential rocket above the $5million (£3.6million) she is already worth, with a string of endorsements set to make her one of the UK’s best-paid sporting superstars.
Sky is already the youngest Nikesponsored athlete, appearing in adverts with tennis legend Serena Williams and gymnastics superstar Simone Biles.
She has one million followers on Instagram and the YouTube channel she shares with her brother Ocean has had 20 million views.
The youngster also won US TV talent show Dancing With The Stars: Juniors in 2018. But dad Stuart
insists the priority for the next few weeks is to get Sky “straight back to school and do the things families do”. He added: “We’ll take her off social media for a little while.”
Meanwhile, Sky’s ambition to double up in Paris will hit a big logistical hurdle – the surfing is due to take place in Tahiti, 9,700 miles from the French capital.
She was included in the England Under-16 girls’ team this year after it was announced British surfing would receive £1.35million of public funding.
But Sky is determined, saying: “I’m definitely going to try surfing. I’m excited to see my brother again and I’m going to party with friends.”
Britain’s other representative, New York-based 15-year-old Bombette Martin, failed to qualify for the final.
Margery Hinton was 13 years and 43 days old when she competed in swimming at the 1928 Games.
An earthquake measuring 6.0 shuddered Tokyo on Tuesday.