In the past two weeks, we’ve compiled a list of the top five ranked female and male street skateboarders in the world to look out for in the upcoming Olympic qualifying season. We’re now focusing our attention on the other side of the skatepark by taking a look at the park division. Get to know the top five ranked women park skateboarders to look out for in the upcoming Olympic qualifying season that will potentially be competing at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
1.) Misugu Okamoto (JPN)
13-year-old Misugu Okamoto of Japan took the skateboard scene by surprise in 2019. Misugu nearly completed the 2019 park qualifying season with a record of flawless first-place finishes, sitting atop three out of four podiums, only to have her streak ended at the last competition—the Japanese National Championship— by Kokona Hiraki. She is widely believed to be the gold medal favorite in Tokyo.
2.) Sakura Yosozumi (JPN)
Fellow Japanese skateboarder Sakura Yosozumi is currently ranked second in the world. Sakura shook off her fifth-place finish at Dew Tour Long Beach, the first Olympic qualifier contest, and followed it up with back-to-back second place wins at ISO (International Skateboarding Open) Nanjing and the Sao Paulo STU World Championship.
3.) Sky Brown (GBR)
At only 11-years-old, Sky Brown has the potential to be the youngest competing athlete at the Olympics and Great Britain’s youngest Olympian in history. Sky wows judges, as well as fans, with her stylish display of tricks and technical difficulty. Coming out of a 12th and fifth-place finish in the first two qualifying stops, Sky finished the 2019 season with a third-place finish at the Sao Paulo STU World Championship and a first-place finish at the UK National Championships.
4.) Poppy Starr Olsen (AUS)
Hailing from Australia, Poppy Starr Olsen has fought her way into the top five. Attending all four qualifiers in the 2019 season, Poppy stacked up as many points possible and finished the season with a first-place finish at the Skate Australia National Park Championships.
5.) Lizzie Armanto (FIN)
Last but certainly not least is Lizzie Armanto. Lizzie made the strategic decision to utilize her dual citizenship and represent the country of Finland. This move practically guarantees her a spot to the 2021 Tokyo Summer Games and essentially opens up a spot for another skateboarder to represent Team USA. With less competition pressure, Lizzie attended two of the four qualifying competitions where she placed second at Dew Tour Long Beach and fifth at the Sao Paulo STU World Championships.
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