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Tony Hawk's staggering praise for Arisa Trew after 14-year-old Aussie makes history at Olympics

Hawk applauded Trew for winning a 'well deserved' gold medal in Paris.

Skateboarding legend Tony Hawk has heaped praise on Arisa Trew after she became Australia's youngest gold medallist in Olympics history overnight. Little over a year ago, Hawk helped Trew conquer a trick no female skater had ever landed and on Wednesday morning (AEST), he was in the stands watching her win a historic gold medal in Paris.

At 14 years and 86 days, Trew won the women's park skateboarding event to eclipse Australia's previous youngest gold medallist - swimmer Sandra Morgan. Sitting in the bronze medal position before her third and final run, coach Trevor Ward called Trew over for a chat and it spurred her on to pull off the run of her life to snatch gold.

Pictured left Tony Hawk and right Arisa Trew
Tony Hawk applauded Arisa Trew for winning a 'well deserved' gold medal in Paris. Image: Getty/AAP

In her final run, Trew produced a series of daring tricks highlighted by a 540 - one and a half rotations in midair - which wowed the sold-out crowd at La Concorde in central Paris. The run scored 93.18, pipping Japan's Cocona Kiraki (92.63) and Great Britain's Sky Brown (92.31) for the other medals.

And the incredible run drew a big reaction from Hawke, who stood and applauded the young Aussie before congratulating her in a post on his personal Instagram. "Congratulations to Arisa Trew on her epic last run in women's park finals this afternoon, landing her a well-deserved gold medal," he wrote. "Thanks to all of the competitors for pushing skateboarding into a new era of equality and inclusivity."

Australia's Arisa Trew during the Women's Park Prelims at La Concorde on the Eleventh day of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games in France. Picture date: Tuesday August 6, 2024. (Photo by Mike Egerton/PA Images via Getty Images)
Arisa Trew became Australia's youngest gold medallist in Olympics history overnight.

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It was incredible praise from a man Trew says inspired her to get into the sport. Hawk also helped her become the first woman to pull off his iconic 720 and in May she also became the first woman to land a 900- a two-and-a-half revolution aerial spin.

And following her gold medal triumph the 14-year-old told Nine's Eddie McGuire after winning gold, Hawk is an inspiration to her. "It's so cool to hear it from Tony because he is such an inspiration to everyone," she said. "No one would be here without what he did in skateboarding."

Trew is the youngest athlete on Australia's Olympic team in Paris and the nation's seventh-youngest Olympian ever. "It was just crazy and so exciting and I just, like, couldn't believe it when I, like, knew that I was the winner of the Olympics," she said.

"This being my first Olympics, it's just insane. I wasn't really nervous because it's just, like, I just needed to think that it's another skate comp. And just to have fun with all my friends and skate my best but, like, all I really wanted to do was land a solid run.

"When I landed my third run I was so stoked, I knew I landed the run I wanted to land and when I came out I was just waiting for the score, then it popped up and I was like, 'Yes I'm secure on the podium'."