Tokyo: Japan’s Yuto Horigome created history winning the first-ever gold medal in skateboarding at the Tokyo Olympics. The 22-year-old, son of a taxi driver, claimed the podium at his home in men’s street in the city event beating Brazilian Kelvin Hoefler, who won the first-ever silver and Jagger Eaton of the USA took bronze.
One of skateboarding’s biggest stars and Eaton’s compatriot Nyjah Huston fell repeatedly trying to land tricks and placed seventh in the eight-man final.1
History made!
Horigome Yuto wins the first ever Olympic #skateboarding gold medal. Bravo!#JPN @WorldSkate_news @Japan_Olympic pic.twitter.com/ZGbC3Mn3Nz
— Olympics (@Olympics) July 25, 2021
Although the sport in which the skaters show off their skills on a board with four small wheels made its debut in this Olympics, it has been ever-present since its inception back in 1950 in the USA where skateboarders hone their skills on streets. The sport developed with generations on up-gradation which came down to the present form of skateboarding. After the 1970’s the sport gradually saw a rise with the emergence of dedicated skateparks.
The announcement of skateboarding’s inclusion at the Tokyo Olympics came in 2016 mentioning that at the Games, street skaters would compete on surfaces like stairs, handrails, curbs, ledges, and benches.
Park skaters would look to outdo each other’s mid-air tricks on a course with steep slopes and deep valleys. Skateboarding’s four-day event marked a turning point for the sport, which had always its roots in youth street culture influencing everything from art to fashion.
