Olympics and Paralympics
Cocona Hiraki Repeats as Silver Medalist in Women's Park Skateboarding
The 15-year-old Japanese skateboarding standout finished second behind Australia's Arisa Trew by less than one point in the French capital.
Japan's Cocona Hiraki won her second straight Olympic silver medal in the women's park skateboarding final on Tuesday, August 6 at the La Concorde 4 course in Paris.
Hiraki, a 15-year-old from Tomakomai, Hokkaido Prefecture, who took silver at the Tokyo 2020 Games in the same event, was runner-up to gold medalist Arisa Trew of Australia, who won with a score of 93.18 points. Hiraki's tally in second was 92.63.
Britain's 16-year-old Sky Brown, who was born in Miyazaki Prefecture, claimed her second straight bronze medal in women's park with 92.31.
Though all three medalists represented different countries, all of their mothers are Japanese.
"I was able to give it my all and win a medal," Hiraki was quoted as saying by Kyodo News.
She added, "I have no regrets about this competition."
Hiraki was in third place going into the final run, but moved up to second with her performance.
"I'm really happy," Hiraki commented. "I came up with a run that I want to show everyone and I was able to perform it."
Trew Rallies from 6th After Preliminary Round to Win Skateboarding Gold
Hiraki, ranked No 1 in the world entering the contest, led after the preliminary round with 88.07, with teammate Hinano Kusaki in third place on 85.11.
Trew, a 14-year-old from Australia, was just sixth in the prelim with 82.95. She fell on her first run in the final before turning it on to win the gold.
"I fell on a trick that I was landing all the time, which was really annoying, but I knew it was all or nothing after that," Trew remarked.
Kusaki struggled in the final and wound up eighth at 69.76 in the eight-skateboarder field. Sakura Yosozumi, the defending Olympic champion in women's park, did not qualify for the final.
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Author: Jack Gallagher
The author is a veteran sports journalist and one of the world's foremost figure skating experts. Find articles and podcasts by Jack on his author page, and find him on X (formerly Twitter) @sportsjapan.