Thirteen-year-old rises from hospital bed to win Olympic medal

TOKYO. — Skateboarding sensation, Sky Brown, was in hospital bed in California last year as her family feared for her life.

The 13-year-old had fractured her skull, in a training crash, which could have killed her.

Yesterday, she became Britain’s youngest Olympic medallist in history on a day when teenagers ruled the roost.

She came third in a skateboating contest which was won by 19-year-old Japanese star, Sakura Yosomuzi, while 12-year-old Kokona Hiraki took bronze.

Brown, who became Britain’s youngest Olympic medal winner, hopes to compete at the next Games, on a surfboard as well as her trusty skateboard.

And, her brother Ocean, nine, a promising skater himself, is also being tipped to compete for Team GB in three years’ time.

In 2016, aged just eight, Sky became the youngest girl ever to compete in the Vans US Open Pro Series, before placing third in the pen division of the world championships, in Brazil, in 2019.

Earlier this year, she was also included in the England Under-16 girls team, after it was announced British surfing would be receiving public funding, for the first time, with £1.35 million earmarked to support the sport’s long-term medal potential.

If Sky, who has been lauded as a “hero’’ by four-time American surfing world champion Carissa Moore, is to compete in both events then she will have to overcome the logistical challenges caused by the skateboarding competitions being held in Paris, with the surfing taking place 10,000 miles away, in the South Pacific off Tahiti.

Speaking after his daughter’s bronze medal here yesterday, her father Stu said: ‘It’ll be up to her by then.

‘’She’ll be 16, and it’s hard enough now. But, she’s straight back to school and do the things that families do. We’ll take her off social media for a little while.’’

She broke down in tears of joy, at the end of the final, where she was beaten by two Japanese stars, including 12-year-old rival, Kokona Hiraki. Speaking afterwards Sky said: “It was a super sick final. All the girls were ripping it, it was insane. I’m so stoked.

‘’I can’t believe it, it’s unbelievable. The medal feels unreal, it’s like a dream. I can’t wait to show the medal to my family and friends.’’ — Mailonline.