Big upsets, 13-year-old champions, and unqualified commentators – here’s an update on the Olympic street skateboarding.
Photos by Atiba Jefferson, except where noted. Words by Nat Kassel.
The British press has dubbed the Tokyo Olympics as “the strangest in history” with empty stadiums, COVID restrictions and a huge backlash from the Japanese public. For those who watched Channel 7’s online coverage of the street skateboarding events, the strangest part was that the two British-sounding commentators seemed to have no idea about skateboarding and embarrassed themselves countless times while trying to name tricks. But despite the teething issues, Olympic street skateboarding has officially arrived. Here’s how it went down.
The men’s and women’s street events went ahead on Sunday and Monday, with Japan taking gold medals in both events. Yuto Horigome won the men’s street, followed by Brazilian Kelvin Hoefler and American Jagger Eaton, with the butt tattooed favourite Nyjah Huston coming in seventh. The women’s street was dominated by teenagers, with two 13-year-olds taking gold and silver, and a 16-year-old taking bronze – they are Japan’s Momiji Nishiya, Brazil’s Rayssa Leal and Japan’s Funa Nakayama.
Shane O’Neill, switch flip.
Shane O’Neill and Hayley Wilson were the two Aussies who made the cut to represent team ’Straya. Neither made the finals – Shane came 16th, and Hayley came equal-16th (with the exact same overall score as France’s Charlotte Hym). But both Shane and Hayley did exceptionally well to qualify and seemed to enjoy the opportunity to be the first Australian skateboarders ever to compete in the Olympics.
Hayley Wilson, kickflip to fakie.
Hayley’s coach, Kat Williams said, “I don’t want to put words in her mouth, but I would say it will be a positive experience she will remember for the rest of her life… She was laughing and having fun. [She] met some cool people and made history. I’m incredibly proud of how she dealt with it all – skating and off the board.”
Kat explained that the vibe in Tokyo has been high, despite all the restrictions. The skaters and crew have been set up in the Olympic village and then catching charter buses to and from the events.
“It definitely feels like we’re in Tokyo but it’s a strange feeling not being able to see more than what we can from the village or the bus rides,” says Kat. “It’s not as isolating as expected. All the athletes say hi and have chats with social distancing. Like we’re in this big bubble city. It’s quite beautiful in here and there are lots of little grass areas and paths you hang out or skate.”
Kat continued, “It’s strange because at a normal skate contest, everyone hangs out. This one, because of covid and safety, everyone needed to keep their contact as small as possible. It was so nice to see everyone again, even if it was limited. It’s definitely scary, and in the back of your mind knowing that covid cases are popping up and really sad for the homies and athletes. We hand sanitised 50 times a day.”
Kat and Hayley. Photo courtesy of Kat Williams.
Still to come are the men’s and women’s park events, which are happening on Wednesday, August 4th and Thursday, August 5th, respectively. Both those events start at 10am AEDT, with finals kicking off at 1.30pm AEDT. You can watch them on the 7Plus app. As for the Aussies involved, keep your eyes peeled for Poppy Olsen in the women’s event and Keegan Palmer and Kieran Woolley in the men’s.
Hopefully, Channel 7 will ditch the Pommy commentators on the 7Plus app and use the commentary from Nick Boserio and Mitch Tomlinson, who were doing a top job on 7’s free-to-air coverage.
Tune in this Sunday to see Keegan Palmer and Kieran Woolley in men’s park, and Poppy Olsen on Monday to represent Australia in women’s park. For more photos, check out Atiba’s Instagram HERE.
