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— She’s the youngest member of the nearly 900-strong delegation from China in the Asian Games, and the 13-year-old skateboarder is now going home with a gold medal.
She’s also already thinking about being a force at next year’s Paris Olympics.
Cui Chenxi, from Shandong province, edged out 18-year-old teammate Zeng Wenhui for the gold on Wednesday in women’s street skateboarding. Miyu Ito, a 16-year-old Japanese skateboarder, took bronze.
Cui’s gold was one of many for the host nation on Day 4 of the two-week event in Hangzhou, where more than 12,000 competitors from 45 countries and territories in Asia are competing in 481 events.
In women’s street skateboarding, each competitor did two runs and then five tricks, with the highest scoring run being added to the two highest scoring tricks for the final result.
“My tactic was to be conservative on the first run, to get some points on the scoreboard, then make a push for it on the second run,” Cui said.
The gambit paid off, as she scored significantly higher on her second run. That, combined with her first two tricks, won her the gold even though she missed the last three tricks.
Looking ahead, Cui said she’s now got her sights on the Olympics.
