Naia Laso and an Olympic Diploma at 15: Yoda Socks, an Injection, and “Quite a Lot of Pain”. The skater from Bermeo competed in the final at La Concorde, finishing seventh due to a back strain from a fall.
Naia Laso wears her green Yoda socks, her lucky charm, and always has her skateboard under her arm. Her sun-kissed face highlights two beautiful green eyes. She is 15 years old and talks like it. But just a little while ago, at the skate park in La Concorde, she performed like someone much older. Not just because of her skill, which she has plenty of, but also because she endured intense pain, gritting her teeth, and earned an Olympic diploma that she will remember for the rest of her life (she finished seventh, with a final round score of 86.28).
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Naia is the youngest athlete in the Spanish delegation, although in her sport, which made its Olympic debut in Tokyo three years ago, that’s not unusual. The Australian who won gold, Arisa Trew (93.18), is 14 years old (she surprised the British star, Sky Brown). The average age of the eight finalists is 16.5, with only two being adults. In the qualifying round, the Chinese athlete Haohao Zheng, who will turn 12 in six days, was eliminated, making her the youngest competitor in Paris 2024.
The Lucky Yoda Socks
Naia Laso had a great morning, securing her place in the Olympic final. But that was where her troubles began. One of her three falls left her visibly affected. A back strain that made it hard for her to even walk and hindered her performance in the Paris afternoon. “It hurt a lot, yes. They gave me an injection, and then it hurt a little less,” she revealed.
In the final, she could barely perform. She stumbled in her first two attempts but managed to complete the third, doing fantastic tricks for less than a minute that excited the crowd in the heart of Paris. “I went for a safe run, aiming for a good position, to finish a round and feel happy,” explained the Basque athlete, who made it to Paris despite breaking her collarbone in May.
Challenges Beyond Injury
Naia also faced greater difficulties, not just because of her injury. “At first, it was a bit hard. The park is more challenging than those we’ve used before. It’s hard to gain speed throughout the park. It’s very high, and we don’t have parks like this in Spain,” said Naia, so shy. Understandably, she is just 15, has just finished her fourth year of ESO (compulsory secondary education in Spain), and has four years until Los Angeles, where she will still be very young. Full of hope and dreams.
