Aussie Skateboarder Wins Olympic Gold at 14, Wants Pet Duck as Reward

Arisa Trew may only be 14 years old, but the teenager has already made history at the 2024 Paris Olympics as the youngest Australian to win a medal. And, the skateboarding champ has an unusual request as a reward for her accomplishment.

Trew, who secured the gold in women’s park skateboarding on Tuesday, August 6, said in a press conference following her victory that she wants nothing more than a pet duck — and that her parents have promised her she could get one.

“Ducks are really cute and I really wanted a pet duck,” Trew related.

Speaking to Australian news outlet Nine News, she further explained, “My parents definitely wouldn’t let me get a dog or a cat because we are traveling so much right now. But I feel like a duck might be a little bit easier, and… I don’t know, I just want a duck.”

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“It will just be in my yard and I’ll get a little pool thing for it,” she added.

The Queensland teen, who scored 93.18 on her final run at the Games and has attracted the attention of pro skateboarder Tony Hawk, explained how she got into the sport of skateboarding at the age of 8.

“It was because I surfed a lot, and I still do surf so much now when I have time, but in winter it got too cold,” she noted. “So my dad took me to the skate park and I just started skating, and I loved it from then. It was just lots of fun, and challenging, and just something to do after school.”

Trew, who says she intends to compete in Los Angeles at the 2028 Games, is also proud of being a girl in a sport that is gradually seeing more and more women participate.

“When I started skating there weren’t a lot of girl skaters around my age, so I skated with most of the boys more,” she told Nine News on Tuesday. “Then when I got to 10 there were a lot more girl skaters.”

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Trew’s parents, dad Simon and mom Aiko, who were in France to cheer on their daughter’s first turn at the Olympics, told the outlet they were without words for their daughter’s win at Paris’ La Concorde.

Her father attributed the win to “just going out and having fun and enjoying the sport and, yeah, just being active and having a good time.”

“That’s all we’ve ever encouraged her to do,” he said. “Have friends and enjoy skating, surfing, everything.”