Trew and Lovelace to skate in Paris 2024

The nine-member Australian skateboarding team for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games was announced today by the Australian Olympic Committee and features athletes from the NSW Institute of Sport (NSWIS) Ruby Trew And Olivia Lovelace.

Ruby Trew hails from Narrabeen and has enjoyed success on the world stage, from the Skateboarding Pro Tour to the X-Games.

“I am happy to represent my country in Paris. It is a great achievement for myself, my family and my supporters.

“This has been an amazing journey, not just for me but for all my teammates. We have worked so hard to get to this moment, so we all really want to enjoy it and support each other. It will be amazing in Paris.”

Ruby Trew

In the Park event, reigning Olympic champion Keegan Palmer and NSWIS alumni Kieran Woolley return for their second Games as 14-year-old Arisa Trew and 15-year-old Ruby Trew (no relation) both making their Olympic debut.

Shane O’Neill, 34, returns for his second Olympic appearance in the Street event, alongside Olympic debutants Chloe Covell, Haylie Powell, Liv Lovelace and Keefer Wilson.

The team heads to Paris with a wealth of international successes, including Arisa Trew and Keegan Palmer who both won the Olympic qualifying series in June and 14-year-old Covell who won silver at the 2023 World Championships.

Arisa Trew, who will be 14 years and 86 days old when she competes in Paris, will become the seventh-youngest Australian Olympian and the youngest in 40 years since Dimity Douglas, a swimmer in Los Angeles in 1984 (aged 14 years and 27 days). The youngest Australian Olympian is Ian Johnston, a rower in 1960, who was 13 years and 74 days.

It is the second time that skateboarding will be presented at the Olympic Games: the nine Australian skaters will amaze the world at the famous La Concorde in Paris, which has been specially converted into an urban sports park for the Games.

The skaters achieved their qualification through the thrilling Olympic qualifying series, with all athletes finishing in the top 20, securing a spot in Paris.

Australia qualifies for nine of the possible twelve places and will therefore field the fourth-largest skating team, after the USA (12), Brazil (12) and Japan (10).

Kenny Wallace, deputy chef de mission of the Australian Olympic team, announced the team at Pizzey Park skatepark in Gold Coast.

“I am delighted to announce the nine athletes who will represent Australia in Paris,” he said.

“Millions of Australians watched with fascination as the Australian skaters made their Olympic debut in Tokyo and I am sure the whole country will be supporting this team.

“These skaters have shown that they can perform at the highest level and are entering the Games with strong momentum.

Ken Wallace

“Congratulations to all the athletes, the Skate Australia team and the coaches, families and supporters who helped these athletes achieve their Olympic dream.”

Tokyo Olympics competitor Kieran Woolley is proud to be part of the Olympic team for the second time. He heads to Paris in top form, having finished fourth and sixth in the Olympic qualifiers.

“I am absolutely thrilled to be making my second Australian Olympic team and representing the green and gold,” said Woolley.

“The last few weeks have been super active and I hope I can keep that momentum going into Paris.

Kieran Woolley

Keefer Wilson, 17, has been honing his skills on a backyard ramp – 28 feet high and 300 feet long – that his father built when he was just 11. He finished eighth at the 2023 World Championships and is headed to his first Games in Paris.

“It’s been a dream of mine for a while to be part of the Olympic team, so I’m super excited.

“I’ve been training Earl every day for the last few years to get into the team and it’s great to see the hard work pay off, but there’s still work to be done as we get closer.

“I can’t wait to get into the village, I’m really looking forward to it.”

Dr Caitlin Honey, CEO of Skate Australia, was pleased with today’s announcement.

“Skate Australia is incredibly proud of our nine athletes who have been selected to represent Australia in Paris,” said Dr Honey.

“Our athletes in both the Park and Street Skateboard disciplines have dedicated themselves to their preparations and have achieved the best of their abilities.”

“Our Paris 2024 skateboarding team will have four more athletes than the team of five that represented Australia in Tokyo, a testament to the amount of talent among Australian skateboarders.”

“I look forward to cheering on our athletes and can’t wait to see them take on the world at Place de la Concorde.”

Article courtesy of AOC