Youngest athlete in Asian Games? Meet Philippines skateboarder Mazel Alegado, who is just 9 years old
- Alegado competed in the final of the women’s park category in Hangzhou and pronounced it ‘really fun’
- Unlike gymnastics, skateboarding has no lower age limit in competitions such as the Olympics
Skateboarding prodigy Mazel Alegado of the Philippines, who turned nine years old in March, is thought to be the youngest competitor at the Asian Games.
Not only did she make it to the Games, but Alegado flew through the qualifying heat of the “women’s” park to make it to the final, where she came seventh with a score of 56.96.
She could be one to watch at next year’s Olympics – after all, Paris is her middle name. By then, she may be an experienced campaigner and feel the next generation snapping at her heels.
While Alegado’s tender age may turn heads in Hangzhou, she is not much younger than the other competitors in her event. The women’s park gold medallist, Japan’s Hinano Kusaki, was one of two 15-year-olds in the final. Also competing in the final was Lin Yi-fan of Chinese Taipei, who turned 11 years old last month.
The women’s street gold medallist was 13-year-old Cui Chenxi of China, who competed alongside Thai skateboarders Vareeraya Sukasem, 11, and Nathtiyabhorn Nawakitwong, 12.
The older skateboarders, in their early-to-mid twenties, had some of the lowest scores, including Hong Kong’s 26-year-old Lui Yi-ting who scored 6.36 points in her qualifying heat for women’s street.