Rayssa Leal

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In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is Mendes and the second or paternal family name is Leal.
Rayssa Leal
Rayssa Leal (crop).jpg
Leal at 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo
Personal information
Birth nameJhulia Rayssa Mendes Leal
Nickname(s)Fadinha (Little Fairy)
Born (2008-01-04) 4 January 2008 (age 14)
Imperatriz, Maranhão, Brazil
Height4 ft 10 in (1.47 m)[1]
Sport
CountryBrazil
SportSkateboarding
Medal record
Representing  Brazil
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2020 Tokyo Street
World Championship
Silver medal – second place 2019 São Paulo Street
Bronze medal – third place 2021 Rome Street
Silver medal – second place 2021 Jacksonville Street

Jhulia Rayssa Mendes Leal (born 4 January 2008) is a Brazilian skateboarder who won a silver medal in women’s street skateboarding at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Skateboarding career[]

Mendes Leal first gained attention at the age of seven in internet videos of her skating in a tutu and jumping off tall structures on her skateboard.[2][3] She was dubbed "A Fadinha do Skate", translated roughly as "The Little Fairy of Skateboarding".[4][5]

Early competitions[]

Mendes Leal competed in the 2019 Street League Skateboarding Championship in London, placing third with a score of 26.0, finishing above Alexis Sablone, Letícia Bufoni, and other skaters but behind fellow Brazilian Pamela Rosa and Australia's Hayley Wilson.[6][7] In July 2019, she placed first at the Street League Skateboarding Championship in Los Angeles, leading the podium ahead of Pamela Rosa and Alana Smith.[8] Also in 2019, she won a fourth place for her first X Games appearance.[9]

2020 Olympic Games[]

She competed in the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo at the age of 13, the youngest Brazilian ever to participate in the Olympic Games.[10] In the skateboarding street competition she placed 3rd in the qualifiers.[11][12][13] In the final, she won the silver medal.[14][15] At 13 years and 203 days old on medal day, she was the youngest Olympic medalist in 85 years[16][17][18] and became an instant celebrity, gaining 5.8 million new followers on Instagram.[19] The young athlete also won The Visa Awards following her display of sportsmanship towards her opponents during the competition. The prize is a $50,000 donation to a charity of her choice.[20]

References[]

  1. ^ Menezes, Kiko; Merguizo, Marcel. "Da pequena Fadinha ao gigante Baby, veja curiosidades do Time Brasil nas Olimpíadas". GloboEsporte.com (in Portuguese). Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  2. ^ Inertia, The. "We Checked In On 10-Year-Old Skater Rayssa Leal and She Still Rips". The Inertia. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  3. ^ Avins, Jenni. "Watch: This tiny skateboarder in a fairy dress is determination personified". Quartz.
  4. ^ De fadinha às Olimpíadas: A trajetória de Rayssa Leal, a sensação brasileira no skate
  5. ^ Olympic Profile at Tokyo 2020 site
  6. ^ "2019 SLS World Tour Stop One Women's Final". SLS - Street League Skateboarding. 26 May 2019.
  7. ^ Morgan, Liam. "Huston triumphs in men's event at World Skate SLS World Tour in London". www.insidethegames.biz.
  8. ^ "11-year-old skateboarder with some serious skills". www.bbc.co.uk.
  9. ^ "Minneapolis 2019 womens-skateboard-street". X Games. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
  10. ^ Rayssa Leal, a Fadinha, faz história e é prata no skate street nas Olimpíadas
  11. ^ De fadinha às Olimpíadas: A trajetória de Rayssa Leal, a sensação brasileira no skate
  12. ^ Rayssa Leal: Conheça a brasileira mais jovem da Olimpíada que já é fenômeno na internet
  13. ^ Skateboarding - Heat 2 Results
  14. ^ Women Skate Results
  15. ^ "Skateboarding - Final Results". Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
  16. ^ Women Skate Results
  17. ^ "Tóquio 2020: Rayssa Leal é a medalhista mais jovem dos Jogos em 85 anos; conheça os prodígios" (in Brazilian Portuguese). 26 July 2021. Archived from the original on 27 July 2021. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  18. ^ Rayssa Leal, a Fadinha, faz história e é prata no skate street nas Olimpíadas
  19. ^ "Simone Biles, Rayssa Leal: Which Olympians gained the most Instagram followers?". 11 August 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  20. ^ "Fans vote Rayssa Leal as the winner of The Visa Award for inspirational display at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020". 12 August 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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