“Skateboarding has taught me resilience”

People Republic of China's Cui Chenxi has always been the sporty type.

Growing up, she tried her hand at a multitude of sports: football, basketball, and table tennis. But ultimately it was skateboarding - a pastime she discovered via. rollerblading - that captured her heart.

With the support of her father, a passionate skate fan, Cui started her skateboarding journey. And her trajectory since that day has been nothing short of remarkable.

At 13, the Chinese wunderkind made history by becoming her country’s youngest-ever Asian Games medallist after clinching gold in the street skateboarding event in Hangzhou. Just over a year later, she landed eighth in the World Skateboarding Championships in Tokyo, Japan, again in the street discipline.

And now, with less than 50 days to go, Cui is homing in on a quota* for the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

"I always tell myself to work hard,” Cui told Olympics.com, reflecting on the speed of her rise.

It hasn't always been easy making up so much ground so quickly. Talent, her teams say, quickly made way for deep passion, which is behind her commitment to always improve. For every trick the Chinese skater comes to master, there are countless falls and tumbles. But each slip-up is as valuable as the last.

“During training, I try to simulate competition conditions, focus on specific tricks, and practice them repeatedly until they are perfect," Cui continued.

And few would deny it's working.

*As National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective countries at the Olympic Games, athletes' participation at the Paris Games depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation at Paris 2024.

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