Tokyo Olympics: 13-year-old Momiji Nishiya wins skateboarding gold

Image source, Getty Images

Imagine being a 13-year-old Olympic gold champion! Well, it's an amazing reality for Japan's Momiji Nishiya.

The young skater has just made history by winning the first-ever Olympic gold medal in women's street skateboarding at the Games in Tokyo.

Rayssa Leal of Brazil, also 13, took the silver medal and Japan's Funa Nakayama, aged 16, won bronze.

With an average age of 14 years and 191 days it is the youngest individual podium in the history of the Olympic Games!

The youngest-ever Olympic champion is Marjorie Gestring, who won the springboard title at the 1936 Berlin Games at the age of 13 years 267 days, just 63 days younger than Nishiya.

The host nation also won gold in the men's street event of skateboarding with 22-year-old Yuto Horigome skating to victory.

Image source, @Olympics / Twitter

Image caption, The Olympic games tweeted the ages of the gold, silver and bronze winners of the Women's Olympic street skateboarding event with a mindblown emoji

Image source, Ezra Shaw / Getty Images

Image caption, (Left to right) 13-year-old Rayssa Leal of Brazil won silver, Momiji Nishiya of Japan, also 13, took the gold medal and Japan's Funa Nakayama aged 16 won bronze

Nishiya stumbled and missed the landing on her first two tricks but nailed her final three to finish with a score of 15.26, topping Leal's total of 14.64, and beamed with delight when her gold medal win was confirmed.

At 13 years and 203 days, Leal would have become the youngest individual Olympic champion if she had won.

Skateboarding is one of five new sports added for this Games, with the street course mimicking the urban environment as tricks are performed on benches and rails.

Other young Olympic hopefuls

Video caption, WATCH: Ricky chats to Sky Brown

The drama isn't over yet, as Gestring's record as the youngest Olympic champion could still be toppled at this Games.

Sky Brown, at 13 years and 28 days, will become Britain's youngest Olympian when she competes in the women's park skateboarding on Wednesday, 4 August.

Japan's Kokona Hiraki (12 years and 343 days) is also competing in the same event and is the second-youngest Tokyo Olympian and Japan's youngest athlete to ever represent the country in a Summer Games.

Tokyo's youngest competitor was 12-year-old Syrian table tennis star Hend Zaza, who left the Games on Saturday after losing 4-0 in her first round match against Austria's Liu Jia.

Image source, Steph Chambers / Getty Images

Image caption, 12-year-old table tennis athlete, Hend Zaza, was the youngest competitor at the Games

Other young Olympic hopefuls include 16-year-old twins Jessica and Jennifer Gadirova who are competing in Britain's women's gymnastics team.

14-year-old Quang Hongchan is competing as a diver for China in the women's 10-metre platform event.

Another 14-year-old, Canada's Summer McIntosh, set a new Canadian swimming record on Sunday when she finished a 400-metre freestyle heat in 4:02.72.

Katie Grimes, a 15-year-old swimmer, is the youngest member of the US swim team since gold medal record holder Katie Ledecky, who also debuted in the Olympics at the age of 15.

British swimmer Tom Daley, aged 27, has just won gold at the men's synchronised 10m platform event with fellow diver Matty Lee. Daley's first Olympics was in 2008 where he was Britain's youngest competitor, aged 14, and the youngest from any nation to participate in a final at that time.

Young people are making history at this Olympic Games! Let us know what you think about it in the comments below.