Olympic skateboarding debuts with focus on youth

Skateboarding has arrived on the Olympic stage, and it made for an impressive debut of street skating, with riders putting together runs down stairs, ramps and rails, at the Ariake Sports Park. 

The competition is separated into two disciplines, street skating and park skating. The street portion of the newly added sport began Sunday and continued Monday, July 26. The park skating portion of the event takes place on Aug. 4-5.

Momiji Nishiya of Team Japan -- who is just 13 years old -- became the second youngest champion in summer Olympics history when she took the gold medal in the first-ever Olympic women's street skateboarding competition. The silver medal went to Rayssa Leal of Brazil and the bronze to Funa Nakayama of Japan.

Roos Zwetsloot, 21, of Team Netherlands rides a rail during the women's street prelims heat 2 on day three of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Ariake Urban Sports Park.

Zwetsloot competes in the women's street prelims heats .

Aori Nishimura, 19, of Team Japan competes during the women's street ginal on day three of the Tokyo Games. 

Rayssa Leal, 13, of Team Brazil rides through the Ariake Urban Sports Park on Monday.

Leal competes during the women's street prelims heat 4. Judges score the skating based on speed, difficulty, originality, timing, stability and the overall flow of the performance. One important skill judges will be looking for is the ability to seem suspended in midair. 

Leal reacts while competing during the street prelims heat 4 on day three of the games.

Leal competes during the women's street skating final on day three of the Olympic Games on Monday.

Leticia Bufoni, 28, of Team Brazil competes during the women's street prelims heat 4 on Monday. 

Keet Oldenbeuving, 16, of the Netherlands competes in the women's street prelims heats on Monday, July 26.

Margielyn Didal, 22, of Team Philippines competes during the women's street final on day three of the Tokyo Games. 

Funa Nakayama, 16, of Team Japan competes during the women's street final on Monday, July 26. 

Another look at Nakayama during the women's street final. 

Wenhui Zeng, 16, of Team China competes during the women's street final. 

Brazil's Rayssa Leal congratulates Japan's Momiji Nishiya during the women's street final.