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- Thirteen-year-old Momiji Nishiya claimed Olympic victory in the Women's skateboarding event, making her one of the youngest gold medallist ever.
- Thirteen year-old Brazialian Rayssa Leal and 16-year-old Japanese Funa Nakayama won silver and gold respectively.
- This is also the first time skateboarding is being included in the Olympics.
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Thirteen-year-old skateboarder Momiji Nishiya claimed victory on Monday in the women's street skateboarding event at the Tokyo Olympics, making her one of the youngest-ever Olympic gold medallists.
-Olympics (@Olympics) July 26, 2021
Not only is she one of the games' youngest competitors, she is Japan's youngest-ever gold medalist, reported Japan Times.
In street skateboarding, competitors perform a range of tricks in a course that mimics a street with handrails, stairs, curbs, benches and walls. And in the women's street skatebpoarding event, the competition came down to Nishiya and 13-year old Rayssa Leal from Brazil at the Ariake Urban Sports Park in Tokyo.
Leal fell on her landing coming down a rail, while Nishiya nailed her landing, ushering her to Olympic victory.
The Osaka native won with a score of 15.26, while Leal took home silver with 14.64, and 16-year-old Funa Nakayama, also from Japan, took home bronze with 14.49.
-#TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) July 26, 2021
The pair of 13-year-old gold and silver medallists congratulated each other after the competition with an embrace.
-7Olympics (@7olympics) July 26, 2021
This is the first time skateboarding is being included in the Games, along with karate, surfing, and sport climbing.
The record for youngest gold medallist is still held by US diver Marjorie Gestring, who participated in the Summer Games in 1936 when she was 13 years and 268 days old, according to Guinness World Records. Nishiya was 13 years and 330 days on Monday.