By: Chloe Ong
Teen skater Chloe Covell fractured two fingers but remains determined to become the youngest Australian to win gold at the Olympic Games in Paris.
Two weeks ago, during a training session in Los Angeles, the 14-year-old skater fractured two fingers on her right hand after a fall. However, the young skater has refused to let this injury stop her from becoming Australia’s youngest Olympic gold medalist at the upcoming Paris Olympics.
At just 14 years and 5 months, Covell might be able to replace 1956 Olympic Swimmer Sandra Morgan as Australia’s youngest Olympic gold medalist. Australian swimmer Sandra Morgan won gold in the 4×100 freestyle relay at the age of 14 years and 6 months. Chloe Covell was born on February 9th, 2010, which means she could beat Morgan’s record should she win on July 28th as Morgan was born on June 6th, 1942, and won her gold on December 6th, 1956.
In an interview, Covell discussed how her love for street skating started at the age of 6 while watching the X games with her father. It’s not a secret that athletes admire each other’s talents, but to Chloe Covell, Nyjah Huston was the reason she picked up a skateboard. “I just saw him skating. The tricks he was doing were so cool and he was just doing it so easily.”
“So, I got into it. And then it wasn’t easy, but it’s getting better.”
While discussing Covell’s development, Tommy Fynn, her skateboard coach and mentor, said, “Watching her get that (X Games) bronze medal, man, I seriously had tears in my eyes. I was so proud of her. I couldn’t believe it. She’s just progressing so quickly. And how she handled the whole thing, just with such ease. She has such a cool style and she’s just having fun too. She’s just killing it.”
What distinguishes Chloe Covell, the rising star Australian skateboarder, is not just her remarkable success at the age of 14. After all, the women’s competitive skateboarding scene is characterized by youth, with the average age of female street medalists at the Tokyo 2021 Olympics being just 14. What makes Covell so exceptional is that she first picked up a skateboard only 7 years ago after being inspired by her favorite skateboarder, Nyjah Huston. In July 2023, Covell made history as the youngest female gold medalist in the X Games street competition. Prior to this achievement, she had already set a record by becoming the youngest athlete to win two X Games medals before turning 13. Now, at the age of 14, she is heading to the Paris Olympics 2024.