Who is Momiji Nishiya? What to Know About the 13-Year-Old Skateboarder Who Just Won Olympic Gold
The 2020/2021 Olympic Games welcomed skateboarding, surfing, karate, and climbing to their existing roster of sports, allowing for a whole slew of new athletes across the globe to show their chops on the world stage. With no Olympic precedent for these sports, it was clear there would be some surprises in store when it came to the new events, and, so far, they have not disappointed. On Monday, July 26th, the first ever women's skateboarding Olympic finals were held and the gold medal was captured by 13-year-old, Momiji Nishiya of Japan. Of course, there is a whole lot to know about this world class skater and teen, so read on to get all the facts on the new gold medalist.
1. She's a gold medalist. Momiji took home the first ever Olympic gold medal in women's skateboarding after ending the event with a score of 15.26. Momiji was joined on the podium by the silver medal winner, Rayssa Leal from Brazil, who is also 13, and the bronze medal winner, 16-year-old Funa Nakayama, also from Japan.
2. She broke a record in Japan. At 13 and 330 days, Momiji just became the youngest Olympic gold medalist in Japan's history. She is also the third youngest in Olympic history.
3. She has a history of winning. Momiji won silver in the 2019 Summer X Games when she was just 11 as well as the 2021 Street Skateboarding World Championships.
4. She was inspired by her older brother. According to her Olympic bio, Momiji was influenced to start skating by her older brother.
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