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Incredible scenes of sportsmanship after skater's devastating fall

riley morgan
Sports Reporter
·3-min read
Misugo Okamoto (pictured left) was chaired off after her final skateboarding run at the Olympics and (pictured right) Sky Brown crying as Japan team member Sakura Yosozumi embraces her in Tokyo.
Sportsmanship and comradare was in full display in Tokyo during the first ever park skateboarding event at the Olympics. (Images: Channel 7/Getty Images)

The women's park skateboarding event made its debut at the Tokyo Olympics and fans have fallen in love with the sport after a beautiful moment among the young competitors.

Hometown heroes Sakura Yosozumi and Kokona Hiraki cinched gold and silver, while Britain's 13-year-old star Sky Brown took bronze.

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In the gripping finals, Yosozumi, 19, landed two 540s in her impressive first run, earning the highest score of 60.09 to vault to top place.

Hiraki, 12, consistently showed smooth runs throughout Wednesday's competition and took second place with her best score of 59.04.

Britain's Brown, 13, was the favourite to win the women's event but stumbled in her first two runs, with her final display of 540 spins and flip indies failing to vault her to a higher spot on the podium.

But the moment of the event came when a number of competitors chaired Misugo Okamoto off.

The 15-year-old went hard in her final run and fell with just five-seconds left.

But, despite just missing out on the podium, Australia's Poppy Olsen and American Bryce Wettstein rushed over and picked Okamoto up.

Fans go wild over 'wholesome' skateboarding Olympics moment

"This is what skateboarding is all about," the Channel 7 commentator said during the beautiful moment.

Fans around the world praised the stunning act of sportsmanship from the young athletes.

They also praised the introduction of the event at the Olympics, which will only see skateboarding grow around the world.

Far from the empty swimming pools of 1970s Southern California where this type of skating was born, skateboarding's Olympic debut in Tokyo marks a turning point for the sport.

At times, the young skaters looked impossibly small against the giant grey and purple ramps and bowls at the Ariake Urban Sports Park that is emblazoned with the five Olympic rings.

with Reuters

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