TOKYO – Skateboarding, with its roots in cruising the streets, its pleasure of youth, and its total immersion in culture of all types, has been welcomed to the Olympics because of its undeniable global appeal.
However, it didn’t have to go far to find the original Olympic champion.
Olympic Skateboarding Horigome Soars And Huston Stumbles
The 22-year-old son of a taxi driver in Tokyo, Yuto Horigome, won a gold medal for street skateboarding on Sunday in an empty, blazing skatepark just eight kilometres from his childhood, with men covering his neck.
Due to pandemic procedures, the venue’s grandkids were not there; however, the horde of volunteers at Ariake Urban Sports Park gave him a warm welcome, and the crowd cheered wildly in response.
But the impact of achievement will be felt by all. Even on TV, Horigome’s father Ryota, the one who first taught Yuto to ride, couldn’t bear to watch because of his anxiety. He took a bike and a neighbour from his family’s third-floor flat and rode away.
Eventually, he began receiving several calls and texts on his phone. Meaning was not lost on him. The competition was won by Yuto. And in Japan, where street skating is still untested and often illegal, there is a skateboarder who has won a gold medal.
The Tokyo neighbourhood where Horigome was born and raised is known as the Koto district. “I started skating in the Koto ward,” he added. Even now, the fact that I am in Rio for the Olympics seems impossible. I’m excited to make a difference in the Koto district.
Last Words
Huston beamed as he heard that skateboarding would be included in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Broadly. He reflected, “I’m going to be a little older then.” However, there is a chance that. Then, he booted his board up, refused to answer any more questions, and skated off into a prosperous future, albeit without the gold he had originally sought.
