Optimism: Rayssa Leal is Positive On and Off the Rink

The Olympics are a life-changing opportunity for athletes. Ranging from 11,326 athletes from 339 events and 33 sports, there is no doubt that winning a gold medal in these competitive games can change someone’s career forever. Olympians from all over the world, ranging in age from 12 to 66, have worked tirelessly to bring home gold for their respective countries.

Take Brazil, for example. The country is ranked 16th in the medal count leaderboard, with 4 gold medals, 4 silver medals, 8 bronze medals, and a total of 16 medals. Among these 16 medals, one of the most significant victories for Brazil comes from Rayssa Leal, a 13-year-old Brazilian skateboarder competing in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Jhulia Rayssa Mendes Leal, or Rayssa Leal, was born on January 4th, 2008. On medal day, she was 13 years and 203 days old, making her the youngest Olympic medalist in 85 years. She was also the youngest Brazilian to compete in an Olympics.

Despite the fact that Brazil was not the leading country in the Olympics, her victory sparked widespread celebrations throughout the country. To truly have a glimpse into how Rayssa Leal became successful at such a young age, let’s start at the very beginning.

The skating sensation first came to public attention when she was 7 years old. Videos of her skateboarding in a tutu and jumping off tall structures began to circulate around the Internet. She was dubbed "A Fadinha do Skate," which means "The Little Fairy of Skating."

When Rayssa was only 11 years old, she finished 3rd in the 2019 Street League Skateboarding Championship with a score of 26.0. She defeated well-known skaters such as Alexis Sablone and Letcia Bufoni. Later that year, she won the Street League Skateboarding Championship in Los Angeles, beating Pamela Rosa and Alana Smith. These are just a few of her many notable accomplishments, but each and every competition shaped her success today.

Rayssa's sense of optimism and determination was also a major factor in all of her Olympic successes. During 2020, the young skater says in an interview with Athena Sports that she "[thinks] about being there with [her] family, seeing everyone playing and cheering for [the] Brazilians." Visualizing her success mentally prepared her for what was to come in the following year.

Her outgoing personality and remarkable achievements have not only inspired her, but they have also changed the minds of her fans. “It’s very good to be inspiring children from all over the world. And it’s really cool when they come to ask to take a picture. I keep thinking: ‘my God, look at the child coming to ask me for a photo,’” Rayssa beams, proud to be an inspiration to many young children.

As a 14-year-old myself, seeing someone so young and confident on TV taught me that one's age does not determine one's success. Rayssa Leal has brought these accomplishments not only to herself, but also to the entire country of Brazil and future generations of children to come.