Tony Hawk is proudly passing the baton on to the next generation of skateboarders. On July 24, Rayssa Leal shared details about her exciting meet-up with the X Games pro on the Tokyo training ground. For the 13-year-old Olympian from Brazil, this special moment signifies years of growth as an athlete. “Six years ago [Tony Hawk] introduced me to the world of skateboarding by sharing my video wearing a fairy costume,” Leal captioned a gallery of photos of herself and Hawk. “Today, he filmed me at the Olympics.”
Back in 2015, Leal caught Hawk’s attention with a video of her 7-year-old self heel flipping off stairs while wearing a “fairytale” dress. Flash forward to 2021, and Leal is making her Olympic debut. “This is all so amazing, I’m living a dream!” Leal said, and Hawk is cheering her on from the sidelines. “You have exceeded all expectations!” he commented on Leal’s photos. “It’s been an honor to be involved in some small way.” See more of Leal and Hawk’s meaningful chat in the photos and video ahead.
Related: Skateboarding Gets Its First Olympic Gold, and It Goes to Hometown Hero Yuto Horigome
