Sky Brown, 10, wins British national skateboard title to enhance Olympic dream

Brown is aiming to become Britain's youngest summer Olympian at the Games in Tokyo next year

Ten-year-old Sky Brown took her first significant step towards becoming Britain’s youngest summer Olympian by winning the gold medal at the National Skateboarding Championships in Salford.

Brown, whose win will earn her qualifying points towards reaching the Games in Tokyo next year, proved a cut above her domestic competitors as she scored 308 points over two runs in the women’s park competition.

“I am really excited to have won the event,” Brown said. “I was feeling a bit nervous out there because it was the first time I have competed here.”

Inevitably the audacious Brown continues to capture most of the attention in a sport which will be making its debut at the Tokyo Games along with surfing, climbing and karate.

Brown, who was born just outside the Japanese capital, is one of five British skateboarders selected to receive UK Sport Aspiration Funding for the build-up to Tokyo, designed to help talented individuals in sports which fall outside the traditional funding remit.

Another, and arguably Britain’s best hope of an inaugural Olympic skateboarding medal in Tokyo is Sam Beckett, a 26-year-old from Norfolk who won a prestigious X Games gold medal in 2016.

Beckett, who is currently recovering from a knee injury, acknowledged that there remains some resistance within the skateboarding community to the changes Olympic inclusion will inevitably bring.

But while fame and fortune are no driving force for the sport’s current leading lights, Beckett acknowledged that the increased profile skateboarding will now enjoy can only have a positive impact for future generations.

Beckett told Press Association Sport: “Of course there’s a bit of reluctance. Skateboarding is a hobby and a passion and it is kind of hard to see it changing in that way.

“Of course there are going to be some kids who want to go to the Olympics, but there will always be others who would rather just go out skating in a car park with their mates.

“None of us are in skating to get famous. The idea of skating just to get a gold medal and be a famous Olympian sounds kind of awful.

“But we’ve been given an opportunity to do something with skating and it’s what we’ve spent our whole lives doing. The bottom line is you get to spend more time doing what you love, and hopefully inspire more kids to do it along the way.”

PA