Why Arisa Trew gave up business class seat to someone else on flight home from Olympics

For a lot of us out there, the opportunity to fly business class doesn't come about very often. So it's certainly surprising to hear that Australia's youngest ever Olympic Games gold medallist Arisa Trew turned down the privilege afforded to all of the nation's medallists and gave up her business class seat for the flight home from Paris. But her reasons for the sacrifice sum up just how sweet the Gold Coast school kid is.

Trew won skateboarding gold in the women's park event to become Australia's youngest ever Olympic gold medallist at the tender age of just 14 years and 86 days, breaking the record swimmer Sandra Morgan held since the Melbourne Olympics in 1956. But rather than living it up with the rest of her medal-winning teammates in the business class section for the flight home, the teen star just wanted to hang out with her friends in economy.

Having arrived back in Australia a national hero, the 14-year-old was interviewed on Melbourne radio when she was asked about the flight home. And Trew told Nova 100’s Jase & Lauren that rather than kick back in comfort on the long flight back from the French capital, all she wanted to do was catch up with her best mates in cattle class.

"I mean, I could have been sitting in business with all the medallists, but instead I chose to sit in economy with my two best friends, Chloe and Ruby," Trew said. "I'm pretty sure somebody else got it (her business class seat) because me and my friends were walking around the plane, and we went up there, and it was all full. So I definitely think somebody else was sitting there but I don’t mind."

Arisa Trew reflects on achieving her Olympic 'dream'

Trew admitted touching down in Australia was a special feeling after being greeted by a massive crowd at Sydney airport. And the teen said she was still coming to terms with her historic gold medal and the fact she'd achieved a dream of representing her country at the Olympics - describing the experience as "crazy".

“Me and my friends were like looking through the window and we’re like, ‘There’s a lot of people down there’,” she said. “Going to the Olympics was my goal since I was like 11. Watching the last Olympics when skateboarding first got introduced really inspired me.

“To go to the Olympics is crazy and then to win a gold medal was even more crazy. I’m so excited to be back and it’s really cool to see all these people around, it’s like knowing Australia is our family.” Following a whirlwind couple of weeks, normal service will resume for the 14-year-old in the coming days as she returns to school and meets up with all her friends again.

And the 14-year-old says she hopes her incredible journey and unforgettable experience at the Olympics will help inspire the next generation of skaters, just like the Tokyo Games did for her. “For any of them, I just hope that they start skating even now," she added.

"It doesn’t matter what age you are, just give it a go and have fun and just find a good group of people to do it with and just push yourself and never give up. I just love going to school because it’s the skate park where I go to school, so I get to see all my friends that skate, that I skate with every day and train with, my coaches, the teachers... It’s just the best thing in the world.”