TOKYO – At the Tokyo park where skateboarding’s first Olympic gold medallist, Yuto Horigome, learned to grind, ollie and kick-flip as a child, the sport is now banned.
It’s just one example of Japan’s strict attitude to skateboarding, which fans say they hope will change following Horigome’s victory on Sunday.
The 22-year-old’s top score in the street competition at Tokyo 2020 sparked an ecstatic reaction in Japanese media and praise from Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who said his tricks had “enchanted the world”.
But teenage skaters in Tokyo told AFP there are not enough skate parks to practise in, and they are often ordered to put their boards away.
After he landed three huge tricks in a row to beat American favourite Nyjah…
