TEMPE, Ariz. — You'd think that a Pan American Games medalist with years of world championships experience under her belt would have been in the game for a long time, but 16-year-old Paige Heyn has been making a splash in the skateboarding scene from day one.
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: Una adolescente de Tempe se deslizará sobre su patineta en los Juegos Olímpicos de París 2024
The Tempe teen will even be representing Team USA at the second-ever Olympic skateboarding event.
"I feel like people not in the culture are like, ‘Oh, they’re just little kids running around skateboarding, doing bad things. But it’s not like that at all. We’re all building each other and helping each other skateboard," Heyn said on her Team USA profile page.
Heyn took home the bronze medal at the Pan American Games in 2023 and has been competing professionally since 2019.
She recently qualified for the women's street team at the World Skate Olympic Qualifier Series in Budapest, securing her spot in Paris.
This is only the second time in history that skateboarding will be showcased at the Olympic games after the event's debut in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Competitions are scheduled to run from July 27 to Aug. 7 at Place de la Concorde.
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