Coco Yoshizawa
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 22 September 2009 Kanagawa, Japan | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 160 cm (5 ft 3 in)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||
| Country |  Japan | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | Skateboarding | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Coco Yoshizawa (Japanese: 吉沢 恋, Yoshizawa Koko; born 22 September 2009) is a Japanese skateboarder. She competed at the 2024 Summer Olympics and won the gold medal in the women's street event.
Biography
[edit]Yoshizawa was born on 22 September 2009 in Kanagawa, Japan, and grew up in Sagamihara.[2][3] At the age of seven, she first tried out skateboarding through the influence of her brother.[3] She initially viewed it as "just a hobby" and learned tricks from someone at a local park.[3] At the age of 11, she watched the Tokyo 2021 Olympics and saw 13-year-old Momiji Nishiya win the gold medal with a move that Yoshizawa had already been able to perform.[4] She did not have a phone at the time and did not use social media, and thus she "wasn't plugged into skateboarding culture [and] she and her family had no idea how good she was," according to Self.[5]
After the 2021 Olympics, Yoshizawa started to compete in tournaments.[5] She participated in the Japanese national championships that year and placed fifth.[6] In 2022, she competed in the Japan Open, finishing eighth.[7] She was second at the 2023 Uprising Tokyo tournament and later that year placed fifth at the World Championships.[5][8] In 2024, she won bronze at the 2024 World Skateboarding Tour Dubai, competing in the street skating event.[5] She competed at the 2024 Olympic Qualifier Series and placed third at the first event, then first at the second to secure qualification for the 2024 Summer Olympics, being age 14 at the games.[5][9][10]
In the semifinals at the 2024 Olympics, Yoshizawa recorded the top score, with 258.92 points, securing a spot in the finals.[1] In the final, she successfully performed a "big spin flip frontside boardslide" and won the gold medal with a score of 272.75, ahead of Liz Akama and Rayssa Leal.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Olympics 2024: Who is Coco Yoshizawa? Japan skateboarding sensation takes gold medal". The New Zealand Herald. 29 July 2024.
- ^ "Coco Yoshizawa". NBC Olympics.
- ^ a b c "近所の公園で世界レベルの大技完成、五輪の決勝見て「これ私がやってるヤツ」…世界が吉沢恋を知る日" [Completed a world-class trick in a nearby park, watched the Olympic final and said "This is the one I do"... The day the world gets to know Yoshizawa Ren]. Yomiuri Shimbun (in Japanese). 11 December 2023.
- ^ "パリ金メダル候補！中学生スケーター・吉沢恋 転機は東京 ..." [Paris gold medal candidate! Junior high school skater Yoshizawa Ren's turning point was in Tokyo ...] (in Japanese). TV Asahi. 12 July 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f Kuzma, Cindy (29 July 2024). "A 14-Year-Old Just Won Gold in Skateboarding—With a Trick She Learned in Elementary School". Self.
- ^ "ワールドスケートジャパン 第4回 日本スケートボード選手権大会" [World Skate Japan 4th Japan Skateboarding Championships] (PDF). WorldSkateJapan.or.jp (in Japanese). December 2021.
- ^ "決勝リザルト – ストリート 女子" [Final results – Street women] (PDF). WorldSkateJapan.or.jp (in Japanese).
- ^ "【スケートボード】新設大会で次世代ヒロインが躍動 １２歳・大西は３位「めっちゃうれしい」" [[Skateboarding] Next-generation heroines shine in newly established competition. 12-year-old Onishi takes third place: "I'm so happy"]. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). 28 May 2023.
- ^ "１４歳の吉沢恋、女子では極めて珍しい大技で逆転Ｖ…急成長でパリ切符つかみ「自分でもすごいな」" [14-year-old Yoshizawa Ren wins with a rare feat... Her rapid growth has earned her a ticket to Paris: "I think I'm amazing"]. Yomiuri Shimbun (in Japanese). 26 July 2024.
- ^ "スケートボード・吉沢恋はこんな人…学校が大好きな中学生「シンデレラガール」" [Skateboarder Yoshizawa Ren is this kind of person... a middle school student who loves school, a "Cinderella girl"]. Yomiuri Shimbun (in Japanese). 28 July 2024.
External links
[edit]- Coco Yoshizawa at The Boardr
- Coco Yoshizawa at Olympics.com
- Coco Yoshizawa on Instagram
