Add Category
Australian skateboard king Keegan Palmer has achieved the prodigious feat of spinning and twisting his way to his second Olympic gold medal at the age of just 21.
After Arisa Trew had made winning park gold seem like child's play at just 14 on Tuesday, Palmer, a grizzled veteran in comparison, followed up 24 hours later at La Concorde with his second Olympic title in the park event in three years.
He produced a series of dazzling performances, securing the best qualifying score in the morning before leading in the final from his outstanding opening run, which scored him 93.11 points — three clear of the rest of the field, even though not as high as his 93.78 in the preliminaries.
"Dude, I can't even believe it bro. I literally… like I'm speechless," Palmer told Nine after his win.
"I got really lucky though by everyone kind of falling off on their last two runs, but I had something prepared if need be. I'm speechless though.
"I just can't believe it bro. Everyone's yelling at me. I'm just happy."
Palmer called Trew an inspiration after the fellow Gold Coast resident claimed gold on day 11.
"I'm speechless, to be able to back up Arisa from yesterday is a dream come true," he said.
Loading..."We grew up skating the same park together, Elanora in the Gold Coast. Elanora's holding it down right now! A hundred per cent, Arisa's gold was an inspiration for me.
"We're the king and queen of skateboarding park right now and we both grew up in the same town."
Watched by skateboard legend Tony Hawk, who had also been among the cheering fans who hailed Trew's display the day earlier, he then bailed out on his second run, while his American best friend Tom Schaar, the eventual silver medallist, got ominously close with his second-round run, scoring 92.23.
But none of his pursuers were able to catch the US-based, Gold Coast star third time out, as they crashed out while trying to match his score.
When Schaar tumbled, Palmer fell to his knees to celebrate and was then able to to enjoy what, effectively, was a lap of honour with his last run.
But though he failed to finish it, taking a tumble, he held his skateboard aloft and saluted the packed, cheering crowd.
It was the perfect follow-up for Palmer to follow in the wheeltracks of Trew, who had become Australia's youngest ever gold medallist.
Continuing the youth theme, 17-year-old Keefer Wilson, whose dad Peter built one of the southern hemisphere's biggest skate ramps for him and his sister to use in their backyard at their home in Nyora, Victoria, produced the performance of his young life to qualify in fifth on 90.10.
But he failed to finish a run in the final, ending up eighth overall.
AAP/ABC
Sports content to make you think... or allow you not to. A newsletter delivered each Saturday.