When it comes to breaking records and winning gold medals, Arisa Trew is that girl. The 14-year-old skateboarder from Gold Coast, Queensland in Australia, continuously proves that her age is not a limit – it’s her superpower.
Trew Turns Heads Before Her Olympic Debut
Trew entered the 2024 Paris Olympics park skateboarding final with high expectations. Last summer, she made history at Tony Hawk’s Vert Alert as the first woman to land a 720, or two, full 360 degree rotations in midair. Since then, she successfully landed a 900, or two and a half rotations, at the X Games 5 in San Francisco in May, becoming the first woman to achieve this accomplishment.
Her talent gained the attention of Tony Hawk, who posted a video of Trew on his Instagram with the caption: “Arisa Trew just became the first [woman] to land a 900. Glass ceilings are so 2023. Congrats @arisa_trew!” Not many people can say that they’ve garnered the attention of the legendary Tony Hawk, but Trew joins this elusive group.
Pressure Makes Diamonds
Trew has shown that she’s capable of shattering glass ceilings in women’s skateboarding, especially in the world of vertical, or “vert,” skating. But in just the second women’s park skateboarding final in Olympic history, the young Australian superstar had her eyes on the prize: A gold medal.
After falling in her first of three 45-second runs, and earning a solid 90.11 on her second, Trew knew that she had to come up big in her final run. Before Trew opened, announcers explained how she needed better than a 91.98 to have a chance at securing gold. “I knew it was all or nothing because I just had to land a really good run just to make it into the podium,” Trew told reporters. “I was like…Who cares, all or nothing.”
The second that Trew stepped on her board and started her third and final run, it was clear that it was going to be an all-out performance. Opening with a backside 360 over the box and back-to-back 540s, Trew stayed calm and composed throughout her final run. Particularly impressive was her Body Varial 540, during which her body spins one and a half times with her skateboard in the air.
“I knew it was all or nothing because I just had to land a really good run just to make it into the podium. I was like…Who cares, all or nothing.”
Trew revealed in an interview on the Olympics website that early momentum fueled her confidence and fire throughout the performance, allowing her to boldly land all her tricks. “After the Kickflip Indy, I knew I was going to land everything,” Trew said. Undoubtedly, Trew’s boldness and courage placed her in a different caliber than her competitors. After landing a near-perfect 93.18 score, Trew secured her spot as the Olympic champion in the 2024 Park Skateboarding Finals.
Be Trew to Yourself
The young skateboarding star continues to shock the world with her confidence, poise, and skill. But she’s not that different from the average 14-year-old girl. Trew keeps her mindset and her routine simple, eating cereal, or rice bubbles, for breakfast, and keeping her pre-competition mindset to two words: “Just skate.”
After leaving the Games, Trew has no intention of slowing down. “After I get back I’m just gonna be skating for probably three weeks and I think I’m going to Rome for a vert [competition]... and then I have X Games in Japan and then the STU [competition] in Rio. So a few more [competitions], and probably more after that as well,” she said in an interview. Most 14-year-olds might take a break, but not Trew. Her competitive nature drives her to keep pushing forward, showing just how extraordinary she is for her age.
In the historically male-dominated skateboarding world, Trew, along with other women skateboarders like silver medalist Hiraki Cocona and bronze medalist Sky Brown, continues to bring VISibility to the women’s side of the sport. After the medal ceremony, Brown explained how her competitors impact those around them – inspiring not only fans but herself as well. "[Trew and Cocona] are incredible," she said. "Arisa… [is] a beast and really, truly inspiring. Inspiring me and pushing the boundaries for skateboarding.”
Trew, Cocona, and Sky, among many other women skaters, lift each other up as they succeed. "They inspire me and we support and encourage each other. I really appreciate that,” Cocona said. Trew also noted how it was cool to be in a space where all the girls are promoting women’s skating.
We can all learn from Trew’s courage on the board, skating through our sports with the boldness to go for gold. No matter our age, our experiences, or our past falls, Trew shows us that we can achieve anything that we put our minds to.
