Sky Brown: Skateboarding star talks Tony Hawk and Olympics after 2020’s crash
Sky Brown will be Team GB’s youngest ever Olympian when she competes in the skateboarding's park discipline at Tokyo 2020 in 2021. Hear what she had to say to the Olympic Channel Podcast.
Skateboarding
Sky Brown is one of the most exciting personalities in skateboarding and will be Great Britain’s youngest ever Olympian when she competes at Tokyo 2020 in 2021.
Despite being 13 years old when she drops into the purpose-built skate-park for the Olympics in Japan, Sky is one of the favourites for the podium due to her immense skill.
"She's a unicorn" – Skateboarding legend Tony Hawk
She faces the pressure and contests with a smile and a dance. Her enthusiasm for skating (and for surfing) is unquestionable.
But her commitment to the sport was tested to the limit when she suffered a brutal crash and fractured skull in 2020.
She went on to make a full recovery and is back having fun on a skateboard – she even placed second at the last big contest before the Olympics.
"I'm really trying to push boundaries for girls skateboarding by going high and doing tricks that many people aren't doing," Sky Brown said to the Olympic Channel Podcast.
Here are the top five things you need to know about Sky Brown.
Sky Brown: Skateboarding with Tony Hawk
This is one of those situations where the hype might not be enough to match the actual reality.
Sky Brown is the real deal.
"She has incredible potential," skateboarding legend Tony Hawk said to ESPN.
"She could definitely be one of the best female skaters ever, if not one of the best, well-rounded skaters ever, regardless of gender. She has such confidence, such force, even at such a young age. The way she's able to learn new tricks and the way she absorbs direction, it's so rare.
"She's a unicorn."
How old is Sky Brown?
Sky Brown was born in 2008 and will be 13 when she competes at the Tokyo 2020 OIympics in 2021.
She will celebrate her birthday on July 12 – just a couple of weeks before all the action in Tokyo starts.
What nationality is Sky Brown?
Sky will represent Great Britain at the Olympics. Her father, Stu, was born there.
There’s a reason why she is so excited to compete at the Olympics in Japan: she was born in Miyazaki.
Sky and her talented younger brother Ocean grew up in Japan, where her mother is from.
During the travel lockdown due to the pandemic, the family spent time in Los Angeles.
Why is Sky Brown one of the best female skateboarders?
According the official world rankings, Sky is the third best skater in the world behind Japan’s Okamoto Misugu and Yosozumi Sakura.
It makes her a genuine medal contender despite her age and size.
"[At contests] there's really good people from all around the world and [even] the people you look up to. So it just makes you want to go harder when you see them," Sky said.
Sky Brown: Where and when to watch skateboarding at the Olympics in Japan
If you want to watch Sky Brown in action, then the date for your calendar is Wednesday 4 August 2021. The preliminaries start at 09:00 local time.
The whole competition takes place on one day in a concrete bowl with giant, almost vertical, drops to do tricks.
The Olympic champion will crowned that day with their male counterparts competing the next day on Thursday 5 August.