Quack it up for the Olympian champ!
Arisa Trew, a 14-year-old skateboarder, competed in women’s park skateboarding at the 2024 Paris Olympics and hoped to win more than a gold medal.
“My parents promised if I won the gold medal, I would get a pet duck,” she said at a press conference. “They are really cute, then I can take it on walks and take it to the skate park.”
After scoring a 93.18 on her final run, Trew knew her wish for a duckling would be hatched.
“My parents definitely wouldn’t let me get a dog or a cat because we are traveling so much right now,” the teen told Australia’s Nine.com.au. “But I feel like a duck might be a little bit easier, and … I don’t know, I just want a duck.”
Her Aug. 7 gold win was historic, as she is the youngest Australian Olympic medallist now, passing Sandra Morgan, who nabbed the top prize for swimming in 1956 at the age of 14 years and 183 days.
Trew claimed her gold medal at the age of 14 years and 86 days.
The young skater remains the only woman to land a 720, two complete rotations, in competition and the sole woman to ever land a 900, reported “Today.”
“It feels amazing having the gold medal around my neck,” she said. “It’s been my goal since watching the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. That inspired me and made me want to come to this Olympics and get to the podium.”
Trew kick-flipped her way into the skateboarding world at 8 years old after seeking an activity she could participate in year-round, unlike surfing, a popular sport in Australia.
Throughout the year, the teenager sharpens her skateboard skills at LVLUP, an academy and school on the Gold Coast of Australia, while also focusing on academics.
Assuming her parents follow up on their promise, she will now have to split some of her attention with her little duckling on the way.
With nearly all her ducks in a row, Trew has one thing left to do: name her new pet.
Her first choice? Goldie.
