World Number 1 Women’s Skateboarder Okamoto Misugu Taking on New Women’s Skateboarding Event at 15

From the Sixth Grade to the Japanese National Team

Okamoto was born in Takahama, Aichi Prefecture. Her older brother got her into skateboarding around when she was in second grade, and she says, “Seeing skateboarders fly through the air was so exciting that I wanted to be like them.”

She soon made a name for herself in the sport. She began placing at competitions in Japan, and when she was only in sixth grade she earned a place on the Japanese national team. She soon drew attention, taking fifth at an international competition. Many of the top skateboarders are diminutive, agile teens, particularly in the women’s events, but even so her talent stood out.

With a taste of worldwide recognition, Okamoto began feeling ambitious for more. She realized that she wanted to skate more and better, so she made the fateful decision to move into the family home of Sasaoka Kensuke, a leading skater in the men’s competitions, and study with his big brother Kento, a skater with a reputation for coaching.

The Sasaoka family lives in neighboring Gifu Prefecture, not far from Okamoto’s family home, but the decision to leave home was still a serious one for a sixth grader. Her lack of hesitation only goes to show how powerful her passion for skateboarding is.

First Girl to Land Backside 540

Her relentless training with Sasaoka has paid off with clear improvements in her performance. She won the 2019 Dew Tour, an international tournament in the United States that also serves as an Olympic qualifying event. At the tournament, she thrilled fans and staff alike with her incredible backside 540, becoming the first female skater in international competition to land this highly technical trick in which the skater spins backward 540 degrees in midair.

She has since won a series of international competitions, including the X Games, the world’s biggest exhibition of extreme sports. She is now ranked first in the world, and has secured her coveted Olympic chance.

Skating My Way

Now in ninth grade, Okamoto is a leading gold medal candidate. It would be no wonder if the pressure were getting to her, but she seems unconcerned. “I just want to learn more tricks, and skate my own way,” she says.

It is captivating to watch the 141-centimeter-tall Okamoto’s dynamic skating tricks, and her unwavering desire to improve and learn more, and more difficult, moves is clear. So long as she maintains that passion, it should be no problem for her to break through the pressure and take the crown.

Okamoto will soar through the Tokyo sky at her first match on August 4.

(Originally published in Japanese. Banner photo: Okamoto skates in the women’s park event finals at the Dew Tour in Des Moines, Iowa, on May 23, 2021. © AFP/Jiji.)