People may know Rayssa Leal from a Vine that showed her landing an incredible heelflip while dressed in a pixie outfit, but today she’s wearing something different: the silver medal she won for her performance in the 2021 Olympic women’s street skating event. She also appeared on the Olympics official Twitter account, which posted a “how it started, how it’s going” meme featuring the 13-year-old skater.
Leal’s profile on the Olympics’ website says that she was just eight years old when that viral video started spreading across Vine in 2015, after a version that included failed attempts and falls was posted to her Instagram. Since then, she’s been making a name for herself in her native country Brazil, and in US and global competitions, before eventually landing at the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo.
According to The Washington Post, Leal responded to a question about her Olympic win by saying “I don’t want to have responsibility. I want to go on being the lively little girl I am for all of Brazil.”
You can watch the performance that earned her the silver down below, which ends with Leal giving the event’s gold medal winner Momiji Nishiya a congratulatory hug. It’s worth a view not only to see two thirteen-year-old girls show us what Olympic sportsmanship is like, but also for the absolutely incredible frontside feebles — for those impressed by Leal’s Vine appearance, her Olympic showing will be mind-blowing.
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