Sports
TWELVE-year-old Sky Brown is set to become the youngest British summer Olympian of all time after being named in the Team GB skateboarding squad.
Brown qualified based on world rankings in June and has now made it through the formal selection process.
She will compete in the women’s park event in Tokyo this summer and is currently ranked third in the world.
It is the first time skateboarding will feature at the Olympics, which is set to begin on July 23.
Sky’s dad Stu is English, but moved to the USA in his teens, before meeting mum Mieko in Japan. Born in Miyazaki, Sky spends half of her school years in Japan and half in the US.
At the age of 8, Brown competed in the Vans US Open, making her the youngest person ever to compete at the event and on her return in 2018 she finished in the top 10.
The talented skateboarder also won US TV show Dancing with the Stars: Juniors with partner JT Church.
The 2019 world bronze medallist – and first ever female to land a ‘frontside 540’ trick – is joined in the GB team by Bombette Martin, 14.
Manhattan-born Martin was among 20 skateboarders who also qualified for the park discipline based on world ranking.
Team GB’s chef de mission Mark England said: “I couldn’t think of two better athletes to act as ambassadors for Team GB in this exciting new Olympic sport and we wish Sky and Bombette the very best of luck in their final preparations.”
Brown has fully recovered from a horrific fall last year which saw her suffer skull fractures and a broken wrist and hand.
She first got into skateboarding by learning tricks on YouTube, and could potentially become the youngest Olympic medallist for 85 years. She will turn 13 before the Games begin in late July.
Figure skater Cecilia Colledge represented Great Britain at the 1932 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid aged 11, a record Brown could have beaten if the 2020 Games were not postponed.
There are no British men competing in the event, but the men’s park will see 46-year-old Rune Glifberg, of Denmark, feature.
– July 01, 2021 @ 17:50 GMT|
Tags: Skateboarder Sky Brown set to become youngest British summer Olympian of all time
