Tokyo Olympics: Yosozumi and 12-year-old Hiraki win gold and silver
Hosts Japan claimed a gold and silver in the women’s park skateboarding final at the Tokyo Games as Sakura Yosozumi and 12-year-old Kokona Hiraki finished first and second respectively.
Yosozumi, 19, won gold with a score of 60.09 in Wednesday’s thrilling event.
With Great Britain’s 13-year-old Sky Brown clinching bronze, the podium’s combined age was just 44.
Hiraki’s silver ensured she become the youngest Olympic medallist since French rower Noel Vandernotte in 1936.
Yosozumi, the reigning World Championships silver medallist, claimed Japan’s 20th gold medal of the Tokyo Olympics with a flowing opening run in the final which proved enough for victory.
Hiraki, who wore a white boiler suit during the event, finished with a score of 58.05.
She is Japan’s youngest summer Olympian, surpassing swimmer Yukari Takemoto.
Takemoto was 13 years and 174 days old when she competed at the 1968 Mexico Olympics.
Brown, born to a Japanese mother and a British father, scored 47.53.
There was heartbreak for Japan’s Misugu Okamoto, the favourite, who missed a medal when she fell on all three runs in the final to finish fourth.
Japan have secured five of the nine medals so far as skateboarding makes its Olympic debut.
Skateboarding is one of four debut sports intended to reach new audiences and in an ultra-young field.