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The Olympic Games are the pinnacle for many sports stars. Even in sports such as soccer and rugby, where the World Cup is the most important medal a player can win in their career, an Olympic medal is welcome.
In some instances, elite athletes spend their entire careers attempting to just qualify for the Olympics. Without success. Then on the opposite end of the spectrum, there are athletes that reach the Games while still trying to make a name for themselves in their respective sports.
The organisers of the Olympic Games themselves don’t have an age restriction for competitors. Which means the onus falls on the individual global sports federations in charge of the various Olympic sporting codes.
For example, American Simon Biles could have travelled to London for the 2012 Games. However, the International Gymnastics Federation has an age limit of 16 for its Olympic participants. So, Biles, who was 15 years old at the time of the London Olympics, could not compete for a spot at the tournament.
Other sporting codes do not have such a stringent age limit however. This includes one of the most recent sporting codes to be added at the Games – skateboarding. The sport made its maiden Olympic appearance at Tokyo 2020 (which took place in 2021 due to Covid).
At the Paris Games, some of the youngest athletes present come from skateboarding. The youngest this year is 11-year-old Zheng Haohao of China.
In pre-Paris 2024 interviews with Chinese media, Zheng said she has dreamt of being at the Olympics all her life. She has quickly ticked off that dream from her life’s goals, despite not even being a teenager yet.
“I’m very proud of myself. I feel tired and happy,” said Zheng, who did not make it to the final of her event and finished 18th overall.
“Honestly, I wasn’t too nervous. My family was here cheering me on. I’m very happy. It was an experience to be here. I’d like to come back in Los Angeles 2028,” she added.
Then there is Japanese starlet Kokona Hiraki, who will leave Paris as one of the youngest competitors with multiple Olympic medals.
Hiraki possesses two skateboarding park event silver medals after winning one at the previous Games on home turf, aged 12.
In Paris, she added to her collection by finishing second behind Australian Arisa Trew, who herself is one of the youngest gold medallists at Paris 2024, at 14 years old.
“She’s leading the way of what’s possible in skateboarding and in women’s skateboarding. And we’re just lucky to have her. That run right there could have won any event,” legendary American skater Tony Hawk said of Trew’s performance after her gold medal in Paris.
Old pro
Sixteen-year-old Sky Brown of Team Great Britain competes on 6 August 2024 during the Women’s Park Preliminary of the Skateboarding competition in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, at La Concorde in Paris, France. (Photo: Alex Pantling / Getty Images)
“Being on such a big stage together, doing what we love and being able to show our sport to the world, I think it has made us even closer,” said Sky Brown, who won bronze in Tokyo, becoming the youngest athlete to medal for Great Britain.
“Skateboarding being in the Olympics has helped it grow overall. More parks, more skaters. I’m really thankful for that,” said 16-year-old Brown, who secured another bronze in Paris.
This flood of young skateboarding talent is making it a norm for prodigies to appear at the Games. And they are all taking it in their stride.
The sport may in future produce the youngest Olympian and medallist in history.
For now, that accolade belongs to Dimitrios Loundras, who competed at just 10 years old. The Greek gymnast won bronze in the parallel bars at the 1896 Games.
Then there is Luigina Giavotti, who contributed to Italy winning a silver medal in team gymnastics at Amsterdam 1928. Also aged 11 like Zheng, she was days younger than the latest Olympic young star. DM
