13-year-old skateboarder becomes youngest ever GB medallist

Sky Brown, 13, has become Great Britain’s youngest ever medal winner at the 2021 Tokyo Olympic games, just 14 months after being hospitalised in a serious training accident.

The Japanese-born Instagram superstar completed her remarkable comeback with a score

of 57.40 on her third run in the final, clinching a bronze medal for herself and Team GB.

Brown almost became youngest Olympic medallist since the 1930s, but was topped by

Japanese 12-year-old and fellow competitor Kokona Hiraki, who won silver. Sakura

Yosozumi, 19, won gold for the host nation.

In June last year, Brown was admitted to a hospital in California after a serious fall in training

that left her with multiple skull fractures and a broken left wrist and hand. Some 14 months later, she is competing at the pinnacle of her sport and displayed exceptional bravery and maturity to take home a bronze medal at the tender age of 13 years and 28 days.

Brown had a shaky start to the final after twice attempting and failing the same trick – a

kickflip indy - but succeeded on her third and final try, pushing her from fourth to third in

the medal table.

The bronze medal is the latest accolade in a highly promising career, which has already seen

the teenager win sponsorship deals from Nike, Barbie and Claire’s Accessories.

On receiving her medal, an emotional Brown told the BBC: “It’s incredible, it feels unreal. I’m so happy to be here with Sakura and Kokana, I’m blessed.”