Japanese skateboarder and medal contender Aori Nishimura is hoping that the sport¡¯s debut at the Tokyo Olympics, and the success of homegrown athletes like herself, can help overcome some of the stigma that skateboarding often carries in the host nation.
¡°I do think it¡¯s more difficult for people that want to skateboard in Japan compared to overseas,¡± said Nishimura, who turns 20 this week and lives in Huntington Beach, California. ¡°I realized it when I first went overseas ¡ª you can skate in the streets and people will be like ¡°¡®wow, cool.¡¯¡± In Japan, ¡°the image of skateboarding still isn¡¯t great.¡±
Nishimura, who is ranked No. 3 in the world in street skateboarding ¡ª a style that involves doing tricks over structures often found in urban areas like railings and steps ¡ª will compete on Monday, and is favored to win a medal after finishing first in the Street Skateboarding World Championships in Rome last month.
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