Olympic skateboarding’s teen titans Arisa Trew, Hiraki Cocona, Sky Brown take sport to new heights
Turning right out of the park skateboarding arena, located on the historic Place de la Concorde, over an hour after the final’s crescendo had come and gone, the view was immediately striking.
Hundreds of people had gathered just outside the exit by the stands, penned back by temporarily erected metal barriers to keep them from forming an uncontained mass. Eyes darted around as fans looked to see what was causing the latest movement. An eagerness hummed in the air. They were waiting to catch a glimpse of the newest Olympic stars.
The protagonists in question were, of course, the teen trio of Arisa Trew, Hiraki Cocona and Sky Brown. The oldest of them only a month past her 16th birthday, they had just delivered a skate final for the books.
World number one Hiraki of Japan set herself up as the one to chase after putting down a statement 91.98 on her opening run. Brown, Trew and the rest of the pack duly tried to challenge, and the pair got close. The Australian Trew produced a 90.11 score and Britain's Brown a 91.60 with their second runs.
But it would be in the final round that the trio would truly come alive.
With her final go, Trew landed an imperious line peppered with 540s and a stunning front nose blunt on the box grab 180 out to finish.
The 14-year-old grinned as she popped out of the bowl, her smile as striking as her statement hot-pink helmet. Skateboarding legend Tony Hawk, watching on the edge of the bowl, raised his hands above his head and clapped, knowing that with that effort Trew would become the leader. And, sure enough, she climbed to the top with a 93.18 score.
Brown and Hiraki subsequently took their turns in response, but neither were quite able to improve on their lot. Applause rained down and tears of joy flowed as the final concluded. Hiraki ended up with silver and Brown took bronze.
It was dramatic, special, a sight worthy of the iconic landmarks that littered the skyline behind them.
But it was also much more than that.
Arisa Trew of Australia is all smiles during the women's park final at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on 6 August 2024.
Trew, now her country’s youngest-ever Olympic medallist and the youngest gold medallist at these Games, had already made history in 2024.
In May, the Australian teen became the first woman ever to land a 900. The feat, achieved on the vert ramp, came a year after she became the first woman to land a 720 in competition — incidentally doing it in front of Hawk, the trick's creator. It was an achievement that earned her Action Sportsperson of the Year at the 2024 Laureus World Sports Awards.
Thus Paris 2024, for Trew, wasn’t a singular historical moment in the life of the young Queenslander, it was the continuation of a streak.
In other words, Trew did on Tuesday what she has quietly been doing for some time in her short but illustrious career: taking women’s skateboarding to new heights. The only difference this time was that she did it with the world watching.
Sky Brown of Great Britain with her bronze medal at Paris 2024 on 6 August 2024.
Hiraki and Brown, too, deserve their flowers for their part in pushing women's skateboarding forward.
If Trew has been doing it with history in her sails, then Brown has been doing it with guts and style.
The 16-year-old, newly minted British bronze medallist touched down in Paris having dislocated her shoulder one day prior — and it was only in April that she had tore the medial cruciate ligament in her right knee.
“It's not in the best shape," Brown said, conceding that the pain in her shoulder had impeded her during the final. Yet she showed no signs of bitterness or regret. "It is all part of the story."
Injuries aside, there was another reason Brown’s medal was so remarkable.
The skater went 389 days without competing in an Olympic qualifier after deciding to try her hand at securing a surf quota for Paris.
She ultimately came up short in her dual quest, but as she came back to skateboarding it was as if she had never left. Her combined Parisian pursuit, though mixed in its outcome, was the perfect reminder that if you love it you should always try it, no matter if you don't succeed.
And while Trew was charting her rise and Brown on her surf sabbatical, Hiraki was holding down the fort.
The Japanese phenom, her country’s youngest-ever Olympic medallist at age 15, hardly once let her form slip as Paris 2024 qualification began.
Where other more established names, including her compatriot Yosozumi Sakura — a relative veteran to the teen trio at age 22 — stumbled as newcomers arrived, Hiraki showed them the bar they had to meet.
In six qualifiers, the Japanese skater only missed the podium once when she came fifth back in early 2023. Her fluid style and array of lip tricks remain still, almost entirely, unmatched.
Hiraki Cocona and Arisa Trew (right) share a hug after the women's park final at Paris 2024 on 6 August 2024.
Arisa, Hiraki and Brown are three skaters changing their sport, each in their own different way.
Then there's the small matter of doing it with a smile on their faces. That much was still obvious in the news conference after their medal ceremony.
Packed to the rafters as the world's media bustled in, the trio, all able to speak Japanese with Brown and Trew having mixed Japanese heritage, had a blast as they giggled through the questions.
More often than not, they turned to each other for support as they came up with their answers. It was not unlike the way the trio look to each other in the bowl, too.
Silver medallist Hiraki Cocona of Japan competes during the women's park prelims on day eleven of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Place de la Concorde on 6 August 2024 in Paris, France.
"They are incredible," Brown said afterwards of Trew and Hiraki. "Arisa, coming out with the 'NBDs' [never been done]. She's a beast and really, truly inspiring. Inspiring me and pushing the boundaries for skateboarding.
"And Cocona, she's been along the ride the whole way. So sharing these beautiful moments and journeys, it has been really fun. But she is so talented as well. Watching her grow throughout these years, is super good."
"All of us, the medallists, Sky, Arisa and myself, have different styles," Hiraki said of her fellow medallists. "They inspire me and we support and encourage each other. I really appreciate that."
The question of what comes next when the progress has been so astronomically fast can be tempting. All three skaters have their eyes on LA 2028, with Brown confirming she’ll again attempt the surf and skate double.
It’s exciting; infectious even, but on this day the moment itself shouldn’t be lost.
On Tuesday, the world got to witness how far skateboarding has come and finally meet the young women who are driving it forward.