FILE PHOTO: Jan 12, 2020; Lausanne, SWITZERLAND; Sky Brown, 10 year-old skateboarder who is set to become Britain’s youngest summer Olympian at Tokyo 2020, skates around the Youth Olympic Village. The Winter Youth Olympic Games. Mandatory Credit: Nick Didlick/OIS Handout Photo via USA TODAY Sports
(Reuters) – Eleven-year-old skateboarder Sky Brown, who is hoping to become Britain’s youngest Olympian next year, fractured her skull and broke bones in her left hand after falling from a ramp during a training session in California.
Brown posted a video of the accident on Instagram and reassured supporters that she was doing fine and was going to work even harder when she returns.
“I don’t usually post (videos of) my falls or talk about them… but this was my worst fall. I just want everyone to know that it’s ok, don’t worry, I’m ok,” she said.
“I’m going to push boundaries for girls with my skating and surfing. I’m going for gold in 2021 and nothing will stop me.”
The BBC reported that Brown was taken to hospital by helicopter and was unresponsive on arrival but is expected to make a complete recovery.
“Sky landed head-first off a ramp on her hand,” her father Stewart was quoted as saying by the BBC.
“When she first came to hospital, everyone was fearful for her life… Sky had the gnarliest fall she’s ever had and is lucky to be alive… (she) remains positive and strong, the whole medical team is shocked to see her positivity.”
At the 2021 Tokyo Games, Brown is hoping to eclipse the record set by swimmer Margery Hinton, who was 13 years and 43 days old when she competed at the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam.
Five sports, including baseball, skateboarding and surfing, will feature in Tokyo as part of the International Olympic Committee’s revamp of the Games programme to attract younger audiences.
Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; editing by Philippa Fletcher