Sweet 13! China’s Cui Chenxi is queen of the skateboard teens at Asian Games

HANGZHOU – Thirteen-year-old Cui Chenxi became China’s youngest gold medallist at the Asian Games in Hangzhou when she won the women’s street skateboarding event on Wednesday.

Chenxi, who is just 1.52 metres, landed her first two individual tricks to race into the lead with a score of 242.62.

She failed to land any more but she had already done enough to claim gold ahead of compatriot Zeng Wenhui on 236.61 and Japan’s Miyu Ito on 221.59.

“My tactic was to be conservative on the first run to get some points on the scoreboard, then make a push for it on the second run,” she said. “I did quite well today.”

Fresh-faced skateboarders have been tearing it up at the Asian Games, with nine-year-old Mazel Paris Alegado competing for the Philippines in Monday’s women’s park final.

Margielyn Didal of the Philippines was the only skater over 20 in the women’s street final, which also featured 11-year-old Vareeraya Sukasem and 12-year-old Nathtiyabhorn Nawakitwong, both of Thailand.

Chenxi, who hails from China’s eastern Shandong province, took up skateboarding only in 2020 when China’s Covid-19 restrictions meant she could not practise rollerblading, which she picked up as a three-year-old.

Her coaches had told her it was okay if she failed to pull off her tricks but she insisted: “I always wanted to win gold.

“This competition (Asian Games) is different from other competitions, so I especially wanted to win this one.”

Her teammate Zhang Jie, 16, made it a Chinese double when he later won the men’s street gold. He landed three of his individual tricks to win with 231.14 points, ahead of Indonesia’s Sanggoe Darma Tanjung on 200.63 and China’s Su Jianjun on 195.73.

The hot favourite from Japan, 13-year-old Ginwoo Onodera, who became the youngest-ever street skateboarding champion at the X Games in 2023, failed to land a single individual trick and finished seventh.

Japan’s track cyclists, meanwhile, were dominant in winning all three golds on offer on day 2 in the women’s keirin and the men’s and women’s team pursuit, with both setting Games records.

“We were already celebrating during the last three or four laps,” said a thrilled Naoki Kojima from the men’s team.

At the shooting range, Kuwait’s Abdullah Alrashidi, 60, impressed with a world record-equalling performance in the men’s skeet to get his country’s first gold of the Games.

He held off a strong challenge from Indian Anant Jeet Singh Naruka, 25, with Qatar’s Nasser Al-Attiya, 52, finishing third.

“Today I only missed one target from 110 targets,” the veteran of seven Olympics, which have included two bronzes, said. “This happens when you play every day, you exercise, go swimming, and eat well.

“You keep your body strong. I don’t look at the telephone or Twitter, because this is not good for your eyes. I look after my body and my health, and I go to sleep early and wake up early.”

Away from the sporting action, South Korea’s sports authorities said they will take measures to address the “unsportsmanlike” conduct of tennis player Kwon Soon-woo, after he smashed his racket and refused to shake hands with his opponent on Monday.

Video of Kwon’s meltdown after losing 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 to Thailand’s Kasidit Samrej went viral on social media, racking up over one million views on China’s Weibo platform and drawing the ire of netizens at home in South Korea.

The incident came in the second round of the men’s singles competition, where 112th-ranked Kwon had been expected to beat the 634th-ranked Thai.

In a statement, the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) said Kwon’s actions were “extremely regretful”. “We will take appropriate measures for the situation through a comprehensive review after the Games come to an end,” KSOC said.

Kwon has apologised to Kasidit, and to his South Korean fans, in a handwritten note posted on social media.

“I behaved recklessly soon after a match ended and I shouldn’t have as a national team player,” he said.

“I am deeply reflecting on the behaviour I exhibited after the match,” he added. AFP, REUTERS