Board teenager shows the true Olympic spirit

When skateboarding was added as an event for Tokyo 2020, the decision raised more than a few eyebrows, especially among traditional sports fans. But after two weeks of watching expertly executed kickflips, ollies and powerslides, the sport has garnered a legion of new fans – including myself! The skill, creativity and courage involved in skateboarding is nothing short of awesome, and there’s no question the athletes are put through an incredible physical and mental test – exactly what the Olympics is about. And how could anyone not cheer when 13-year-old Team GB skateboarder Sky Brown won her bronze medal?

This super-cool youngster is now the UK’S youngest ever Olympic medal winner, and is looking at a very bright future.

She already has more than one million followers on Instagram, and I’m sure she will inspire countless more girls and boys to pick up a skateboard and give it a go. Far too often kids are programmed into activities where there’s too much spoon-feeding and limited opportunity to work things out for themselves. But skateboarding is about going out with friends and copying, experimenting, having fun – and getting back up when you fall down!

There’s a life lesson there for us all.