Last year, Australian teen skating sensation Alisa True became the first woman to land a two-and-a-half-revolution 720 in the air in competition. In May, True kept up her momentum by becoming the first woman to land a two-and-a-half-revolution 900.
As the late afternoon sun shone down on the iconic Place de la Concorde in central Paris on Tuesday, True continued her history-making march. In the women’s park event, she became the first Australian woman to win an Olympic gold medal in skateboarding, joining compatriot Keegan Palmer, who won gold in Tokyo and will defend his men’s title on Wednesday. At just 14 years old, True is Australia’s youngest ever Olympic gold medalist, a remarkable achievement given the country’s storied Olympic history.
After True landed the 900, skate legend Tony Hawk congratulated her on social media: “Glass ceiling 2023-ish.” The American pioneer of the sport was in the stands in Paris. “She’s leading the way for skateboarding and what’s possible for women’s skateboarding,” he said. “We’re just lucky to have her. That run could have won any event.”
The Australian won ahead of Japan’s Kokona Hiraki, who took silver, and Great Britain’s Sky Brown (Team GB), who came third after winning bronze in Tokyo.
Held in a temporary venue overlooking the Luxor Obelisk and with a view of the Grand Palais, the event created a buzz of excitement as park skateboarding began. Clad in bright pink knee pads and a helmet, True looked primed as he stood in front of the Olympic rings, pointing his skateboard skyward and waiting for his first run.
The Australian came into the Olympics in good form, having won qualifying matches in Shanghai and Budapest, but looked a little shaky in the early qualifying rounds on Tuesday, finishing sixth out of eight. The pressure mounted when True stumbled on her first run, falling to the ground after a big opening 540 followed by a Madonna. Hiraki’s excellent first run earned her 91.98 points and made the most of her chances.
In her second run, True showed the poise that had many considering her the pre-tournament favorite. She again started with a big score of 540, then finished with an unwavering score of 90.11. This was enough to propel True into medal contention, and by the end of the competitors’ second runs, the Australian was ranked third.
It all depended on that final run, and True made no secret of it: “The third run, I just knew I had to land it no matter what,” she said afterwards. “I had to land this run.”
True started off with a bang, landing a McTwist 540 followed by a Body Variable 540. She displayed great technique and style throughout her routine, finishing with a noseblunt revert. The judges rightly praised her performance, awarding her first place with a score of 93.18. True was surrounded by her competitors in an inspiring display of camaraderie. The Australian then waited nervously while the remaining five skaters performed their final routines, but no one could match True’s theatrics on a skateboard.
“It was so crazy and exciting,” she said after the medal ceremony. “When I found out I was the Olympic winner, I couldn’t believe it. It’s my first Olympics so it’s an incredible feeling.”
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True said she tried to treat the event like any other: “I wasn’t too nervous. I just thought of it as another skating competition, had fun with my friends and did my best. All I really wanted to do was skate well.”
True, a Japanese-Australian, started skating at the age of seven. When she was in the ocean with her father, she found it too cold in the winter, so she started skating as an alternative to surfing. True says she is proud of her roots. “My mother is Japanese, and I love Japan. All the Japanese skaters are really good,” she says.
The gold medal seemed too large around the neck of the petite skater, who just turned 14 in May. “I’m so happy to win the gold medal. It’s a dream come true. I’m so excited,” she said. “It’s a little heavier than I expected, but it’s beautiful.”