JenI can’t believe we’re already getting ready for the 2022 Winter Olympics! I took another hiatus to focus on other life things and get a new computer. Let’s celebrate an update on this blog with a #ThrowbackThursday remembering what happened in Tokyo this summer.
Best Female Athlete – Carissa Moore (Surfing)
There’s not a more suitable winner for surfing Olympic gold than Carissa Moore. Not only was she the sole indigenous Hawaiian, but she also overcame a hard personal journey and tough competition. She fought hard in less-than-ideal waves and did Duke Kahanamoku proud.
Best Male Athlete – Yuto Horigome (Skateboard Street)
Yuto Horigome had a lot riding on his shoulders as the host country’s top skater. He kept his cool even after struggling with tricks in semis. While others started to cave under pressure and the humidity, Yuto landed 4 out of his 5 tricks in the finals and scored above a 9 in all of them, leading him to gold.
Best Nonbinary Athlete – Alana Smith (Skateboard Street)
I couldn’t ignore the quiet but clear statement Alana Smith made even as the announcers forgot to use the correct pronouns. Writing “they/them” on their board, which they held up during introductions, and then just having fun with the course, Alana represented queer joy and pride, as one of two nonbinary athletes in this Olympics.
Newcomer to Watch – Wenhui Zeng (Skateboard Street)
After skateboarding was added to the Olympics roster, the skate world was rumbling with China building up a team. Although they still need some time to grow, Wenhui Zeng was a surprising addition to the Women’s Street finals, beating out X Games and SLS champions. Hopefully we’ll see her in more international competitions.
Most Dramatic Finals – Men’s Surfing
I’m actually counting the quarter- and semifinals along with the last battle between gold medal fave Italo Ferreira and home beach hero Kanoa Igurashi, who shocked the internet by beating out the other Brazilian favorite Gabriel Medina. Italo broke his board at the beginning of that match, but as expected, he kept his calm and managed to soar to victory on a back-up board. The bronze match was rather exciting and surprising with Owen Wright edging Gabriel for the medal.
Best Trick – Justin Dowell’s Twix (BMX Freestyle)
Although he didn’t have the runs he wanted, Justin Dowell still pulled off his mind-blowing signature trick, the Twix. It’s a simultaneous tailwhip and barspin, which shouldn’t be possible given the fact that you’re essentially floating for a second in between maneuvering two parts of your bike in different ways, but Justin made it look easy.
Picture Perfect Moment – Charlotte Worthington’s Historic 360 Flip (BMX Freestyle)
I noticed a lot articles use a head-on photo of Charlotte Worthington’s 360 backflip, the first done by a woman in competition. It doesn’t quite show the 360 part of the move whereas this image gets the cork and the look of pure exhilaration.
Best Moment Outside of Competition – Women’s BMX featured in Closing Ceremony
Paris really knew how to get us stoked for 2024. One of their clips in the Closing Ceremony had rider Estelle Majal as a 21st century Marianne (the personification of the French Republic) riding rooftops like she was in Assassin’s Creed. It was exciting and showed that women’s BMX is something that we should continue to support.
Most Educational Moment – The Olympics Kinda Suck
Obviously these Games meant a lot for the athletes, and as a fan, I was definitely inspired. However, I’m not sure it was worth the cost to the host country. We’re still in a global pandemic, and despite the need for strict safety protocols, quarantined athletes were denied the ability to go outside or open a window (which actually worsens things since ventilation reduces the concentration of virus particles and sunlight is known to help one’s mood). Then there was the issue of Japan not being entirely truthful about ideal conditions with less-than-optimal waves and unbearable humidity. Finally fans of action sports who wanted to tune had issues if they didn’t have cable, and the lack of knowledge of the online broadcasters was so bad that pros like Chris Roberts, Todd Richards, and Alex White started doing their own commentary for at-home viewers.
Greatest Comeback – Owen Wright (Surfing)
Six years ago, Owen Wright had a horrific wipeout that gave him a traumatic brain injury. He had to re-learn how to talk and walk before he could even think about getting back on the board. Although he has had two WSL wins since recovering, Owen’s Olympic appearance, which led to a bronze for Australia, is still impressive given the severity of TBIs and the fact that people spend their entire lives training for elite level surfing.
Most Inspirational – Hugs everywhere in skateboarding
This might be the one time I’m okay with social distancing protocols being broken. The Olympics are often a serious ordeal for many athletes, and we saw some in action sports really feel the pressure. Misugu Okamoto was a prime example, falling during her bid for the gold, but she barely had time to dry her tears before her fellow competitors led by Bryce Wettstein showered her with hugs and lifted her on their shoulders. The young ladies of Street also embraced after their fierce throw-down, and in defiance of toxic masculinity and any manufactured rivalry between countries, friends Keegan Palmer and Cory Juneau had an emotional celebration after getting gold and bronze in Men’s Park.
Lifetime Achievement Award – Daniel Dhers (BMX Freestyle)
We saw a few veteran action sports athletes come out thanks to the format of the Olympics allowing athletes representing countries that normally wouldn’t be considered in competition. Daniel Dhers showed that he’s as much as a present threat as a BMX hero to his fellow competitors, posting solid scores in seeding and ultimately winning silver for Venezuela. Already one of the most decorated BMX riders, he’s now an Olympic medalist and has even said that he’ll aim for Paris 2024.
To the Power of X 
[…] Undoubtedly, the most well-known nonbinary action sports athlete is Leo Baker (he/they), thanks to a cameo in a Miley Cyrus music video and the Netflix documentary, Stay On Board: the Leo Baker Story. I’ve previously talked about the film, which reveals the frustration and stress in trying to conform oneself into the gendered categories of competitive sports. While Leo chose himself over the Olympics, fellow skater Alana Smith (they/them) continued their competitive journey and used the exposure to assert their identity. […]