General
Kids at the Olympics: ‘It’s Honestly Kind of Insane.’
From the shooting range to the swimming pool, teens and preteens are grabbing medals and the spotlight. Nowhere is this truer than at the skateboard park.
It was a hot Sunday morning, and the women’s street skateboarding venue at the Place de la Concorde was swarming with teens.
One girl had a long black ponytail with the ends dip-dyed blond. Her black sneakers had white stripes on the left foot, orange stripes on the right foot and bright yellow rubber soles.
Another wore a green polo shirt with funky green camo pants, her long braids flowing behind her like streamers.
And the smaller girl in the oversized T-shirt and baggy cargo pants had topped her ensemble with a vivid purple helmet.
These cool kids were not fans. They were the competitors: Japan’s Liz Akama, 15; South Africa’s Boipelo Awuah, 18; and China’s Cui Chenxi, 14.
There were 22 skaters in all, and more than half of them were teenagers, including two 15-year-olds from Spain; 14-year-olds from Australia, Japan and France, and a 16-year-old from the United States. A Thai skater, Vareeraya Sukasem, was 12.