Skateboarder Chloe Covell is preparing for the Paris Olympics at an age when most athletes still only have the Games as a distant dream.
The 12-year-old Australian has again shown she is a star of her sport, winning silver at the world championships in Sharjah.
She was the only medallist among the five Australian skateboarders competing at the street world titles.
Last year, at just 11, Covell won silver and bronze at the world X-Games.
Now she has earned ranking points towards qualifying for next year’s Paris Games.
Covell completed her two runs in the eight-competitor women’s final to score 253.5 points, just 2.07 behind Brazilian winner and Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Rayssa Leal.
Leal was only 13 when she made the podium two years ago at skateboarding’s Olympic debut.
The winner, Japan’s Momiji Nishiya, was the third-youngest gold medallist in Summer Games history at 13 years and 330 days.
Liv Lovelace was the next-best Australian in 10th at the worlds, with Haylie Powell 14th and Flic Turner 20th.
Rome Collyer took 20th in the men’s event.
Roger Vaughan
(Australian Associated Press)
