GB’s Brown wins skateboarding bronze despite injury

Team GB’s Sky Brown overcame a shoulder injury to claim Olympic bronze in a thrilling women’s skateboarding park final in Paris.

Brown, 16, was seen clutching the left shoulder that she dislocated last week, after a heavy fall during Tuesday’s preliminary round.

But a sensational final run of 92.31 ensured she added to the bronze she collected in Tokyo, when she became GB’s youngest medallist aged 13 years and 28 days.

Australia’s Arisa Trew, 14, took gold at Place de la Concorde with 93.18, as Japan’s Kokona Hiraki also repeated her result from three years ago, scoring 92.63 for silver.

A new winner had been guaranteed after reigning champion Sakura Yosozumi failed to advance earlier in the day.

And Trew, who was sporting her trademark pink helmet, superbly executed a high-risk and high-speed final round to become the youngest medallist at Paris 2024.

Brown vowed to “fight through” the pain after coming through qualifying and said that she will require surgery after the Games.

And she delivered a display brimming with grit and flair despite performing with heavy strapping.

Sitting just outside the podium places after an opening 80.57, she increased the difficulty of her routine with each round and was eyeing an upgrade on her medal from Tokyo 2020 until the last skater, Hiraki, pipped her.

Nevertheless the bronze is a remarkable achievement for the British boarder, who only turned her attention and training back to the skatepark when her bid to qualify for the surfing came up narrowly short in March.

A turbulent build-up to Paris also included a tear to the medial collateral ligament in her right knee in April.

But now, incredibly, Brown has two Olympic medals at the age of just 16.