Skateboarding has a long, illustrious history, but it wasn't until the Tokyo Games in 2021 that it finally made its long-awaited debut on the Olympic stage. The sport has already been approved for both Paris 2024 and LA 2028, so it won't be leaving the Olympic program anytime soon.
Its Olympic history may not be deep yet, but it's certainly been memorable thus far. Get up to speed below on what to know as skateboarding prepares for its second ride at the Olympic Games.
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Which country has won the most medals in Olympic skateboarding?
Although skateboarding has only made one Olympic appearance, one country already stands above the rest. By taking five medals at their home Olympics (Tokyo 2020), Japan is currently ahead of Brazil (3), the United States (2), Australia (1) and Great Britain (1).
Japan's three gold medals are also the most of any country.
How many medals has Team USA won in Olympic skateboarding?
At the Tokyo Olympics, the United States captured two bronze medals courtesy of Jagger Eaton (men's street) and Cory Juneau (men's park).
What happened at Tokyo 2020 in Olympic skateboarding?
There were two consistent themes throughout all the contests during the sport's inaugural Olympic appearance: Japanese skaters and teenagers winning medals.
Three of the four contests were won by Japanese skaters, and Japan took five of the 12 total medals on offer. The domination was led off by Yuto Horigome, who won the men's street competition ahead of Brazil's Kelvin Hoefler and the United States' Jagger Eaton. In a mild upset, American star Nyjah Huston, considered the favorite for the event, finished in seventh place after falling on his final-four trick attempts during the final.
In the women's events, Momiji Nishiya, 13, won the street contest and Sakura Yosozumi, 19, won the park contest to give Japan its other two gold medals. Both podiums were swept by teenage athletes, with the average age of the women's skateboarding medalists being just over 14 years old. In total, three of the medalists (Nishiya, Rayssa Leal, Sky Brown) were 13 years old and one medalist (Cocona Hiraki) was 12 years old. With her silver medal in women's park, Hiraki became the youngest Olympic medalist since 1936.
The only competition not won by a Japanese skater was men's park. In that event, 18-year-old Keegan Palmer captured gold for Australia ahead of Brazil's Pedro Barros, one of the most consistent contest skaters of the last decade. Cory Juneau, 21, earned the U.S. its second bronze medal of the Tokyo Games.
Men's Street
🥇: Yuto Horigome (JPN)
🥈: Kelvin Hoefler (BRA)
🥉: Jagger Eaton (USA)
Women's Street
🥇: Momiji Nishiya (JPN)
🥈: Rayssa Leal (BRA)
🥉: Funa Nakayama (JPN)
Men's Park
🥇: Keegan Palmer (AUS)
🥈: Pedro Barros (BRA)
🥉: Cory Juneau (USA)
Women's Park
🥇: Sakura Yosozumi (JPN)
🥈: Cocona Hiraki (JPN)
🥉: Sky Brown (GBR)