Youngest British Medalist: "If You Believe in Yourself, You Can Do Anything"

Sky Brown, Skateboarding Bronze Medalist

▲Sky Brown [Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] "People say you can't do it because you're young, but if you believe in yourself, you can do anything."

This is the confident remark of Sky Brown (13), the youngest medalist in British Olympic history. On the 4th, Brown proudly won the bronze medal in the skateboarding event and emerged as a star attracting attention from the British media.

According to The Guardian on the 4th (local time), Brown won the bronze medal with a score of 56.47 in the women's park skateboarding final held at Tokyo Ariake Sports Park. The gold medal went to Sakura Yosozumi (60.09 points, Japan), and the silver medal to Hiraki Kokona (59.04 points, Japan).

Brown was born to a British father and a Japanese mother. She learned skateboarding from YouTube since she was young and gained fame through videos filmed by her father when she was 4 years old. In 2016, she participated in the Vans US Open at the age of 8, and at 10, she became the youngest professional skateboarder. Her parents discouraged her from skateboarding, saying it was dangerous. In May last year, she suffered a skull fracture and a broken left wrist during training. However, neither her parents' objections nor her injuries could dampen Brown's passion.

Brown said, "After the injury, my parents tried to persuade me to stop skating, but I always knew I would come here," adding, "The injury made me stronger." Eventually, Brown persuaded her parents and represented Great Britain as a national athlete.

Brown is also famous as a social media (SNS) star and YouTuber. She has over 1 million Instagram followers, and her skateboarding videos on YouTube have over 540 million views. Sponsored by Nike, she has also appeared in commercials with American "tennis queen" Serena Williams. She is talented in surfing as well and has expressed her ambition to switch to surfing and compete in the next Paris Olympics.

Overcoming her injury and winning the bronze medal, Brown shed tears after the competition and said, "I hope to be an inspiration to girls," adding, "People often say you can't do it because you're young, but if you believe in yourself, you can do anything," showing her confident spirit.