OBAKENG MELETSE
Young skateboard sensation Boipelo Awuah was introduced to the world of skateboarding by her brother and she has since carried the momentum straight into her second Olympics.
On her journey from Kimberley in the Northern Cape to the City of Lights, the 19-year-old will be looking to strengthen her love for skateboarding and complete a dream that was ignited on the world’s grandest stage three years ago, and she hopes to inspire other young girls to take up the sport along the way.
A fractured pelvis ended her Olympic aspirations and participation prematurely for Awuah at the Tokyo Games in 2021, when she was 15.
Awuah feels not a lot was going right for her in Tokyo prior to the injury, but she believes she is better prepared physically and mentally heading to Paris.
“My journey to Paris was a long one, but I have learned a lot. It took me three years travelling around the world trying to get enough points to qualify for the Games. I feel like my skating has improved and mentally I’m in the right space.
“I’m hoping to put down my best performance ever, especially with everything that I have been practising for the past couple of years. I want to put it down and, hopefully, have a good competition without falling.
“Everything has changed since Tokyo. Mentally I was not in the right place. Skate-wise I felt like I was not prepared for the moment.
“This time around I feel like I am more prepared. I have put more time into my skills to perfect them and to be prepared for this moment.”
Awuah has had a fair share of knowledge gained from teammate Brandon Valjalo, who will also be representing Team South Africa in street skating at the Games, and she hopes to use all her experience not only to be competitive but also to motivate South African girls to chase their dreams.
“I have learned a lot from Brandon,” she explained. “I have learned how to be more confident with myself. We both skate the street genre. He has taught me how to believe in my tricks and not to question my skills and to focus more on myself.
“I just want to show other African girls that it’s possible, when I compete on Sunday and they see me on the stage, they will believe that it’s possible. Nothing is impossible but you need to believe in your dreams.
“I’m a girl from Kimberley. It’s a small town and here I am doing a sport that is very rare. So for me, to be able to come so far from such a small town just shows that everything is possible if you believe.”