Chloe Covell's act of class for Olympics rival after Aussie's heartbreak in skateboarding final

Chloe Covell missed the chance to become Australia's youngest-ever Olympic Games gold medallist but she did the nation proud and won over hearts with a beautiful act of sportsmanship after heartbreak in the street skateboarding final. The 14-year-old's bid for Olympics history ended in tears as her shot at a medal unravelled in the eight-skater final, but her support for Japan's gold medallist Coco Yoshizawa was all class.

The teen sensation had reached the final with the fourth-best score but could not land one of her final five tricks in the second section of the competition. Covell recorded a score of 70.33 in the first part of the street final that saw skaters take the best of two 45-second runs where they can perform various tricks on the entire street course. That saw her go into second part of the final in sixth place, hoping to land at least two big tricks in five attempts to catapult herself into medal contention.

The 14-year-old knew she needed to pull off something massive to get into a medal position but came unstuck on her next five attempts as she tried some of the most difficult tricks of any of the competitors. Covell was in tears towards the end of the medal round as she realised her Olympic dream was over in Paris, with the shattered teen being consoled by her coach.

"I tried my best and I just couldn't land much. But it's all good," she said afterwards. "I just wanted to keep trying and not give up. It was very hard work to get here ... I just have to come back better and stronger for the next time." Covell has an enormous future ahead of her and will still only be 18 during the next Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028.

Japan's Yoshizawa qualified for the final with the best score and ended up taking out gold with a huge total of 272.75 after dominating both parts of the final. Yoshizawa's compatriot Liz Akama won silver with a combined score of 265.95, while Brazilian fan favourite Rayssa Leal took home the bronze medal.

Aussie teen Chloe Covell praised amid class act for rival skater

Akama had a chance to snatch gold with a big score on her final run but fell off her board and had to settle for the silver medal, meaning Yoshizawa knew she had won going into her final run. The Japanese champion still managed to stick her final trick in a thoroughly impressive display, and Covell was the first competitor to offer her a congratulatory hug after the run. It was a beautiful act of sportsmanship from the 14-year-old Aussie, who showed her class in the wake of such heartbreak.

Covell fell short of becoming Australia's youngest Olympic Games gold medallist and breaking the record Sandra Morgan set as a member of the 4x100m freestyle team at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics - aged 14 years old and 183 days. A packed crowd containing stars such as Nicole Kidman, Keith Urban and skateboarding legend Tony Hawk tried to encourage Covell to no avail. But her father and former rugby league player Luke Covell said he couldn't have been prouder of how she never gave up in the final.

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"It's not always someone's day," he said. "We knew if you wanted to go for a medal, that you just had to go for it. She did her best, it wasn't her day, I'm just glad she backed herself and didn't take the easy option."

Covell's performance was even braver considering she was competing with a splint on her left hand after breaking two fingers but the 14-year-old's father said it was "definitely not" the reason she didn't medal. "When you get to the Olympic final, no-one remembers who comes fourth," he said. "All the girls were going for their best tricks."

with AAP