Once pushed away from skateboarding, Brazil’s Rayssa Leal is at the sport's pinnacle

Paris — As a child, Rayssa Leal was warned again and again that skateboarding wasn’t for her.

“When I was small, many people told me I shouldn’t skate because skate was for boys and for men,” she said.

Now 16, the Brazilian star has become one of skateboarding's most recognizable faces, a two-time Olympic medalist after earning bronze Sunday at the Paris Olympics.

“Women, we fight every day and we are here,” she said. “Every day we fight against the prejudice ... so overcoming this is very important and this will be forever in our memory.”

Leal became the youngest Brazilian ever to participate in the Olympics when she won silver in street skateboarding at just 13 when the event debuted in Tokyo.

On Sunday, she needed a late run in the preliminary round to make it into the finals and needed another push at the end of the finals to snag her second medal. Leal scored a 92.88 on her second trick but didn’t land her next two to set up a dramatic finish.

She turned and raised her arms to pump up a crowd filled with fans in Brazil’s colors, many waving the country’s flag. She executed her last trick attempt for a score of 88.83.

For Leal, ‘Skate is fun’

While she takes her place in history seriously, she’s quick to point out that skateboarding isn’t meant to be serious.

“Skate is fun,” she said beaming after her win Sunday. “Skate is light. It’s full of creativity.”

Fans notice everything that the teenager does, from the trendy cargo pants she wore during Sunday’s competition to the bright blue shoestrings that adorned her sneakers.

Now that she’s among the older skateboarders in the competition, she has opted for edgier outfits at the park. While 14-year-old gold medalist Coco Yoshizawa of Japan and her teammate, 15-year-old silver winner Liz Akama, donned baggy clothing Sunday, Leal chose to bare her midriff by wearing a sports bra in her country’s colors.

People don’t simply notice her appearance and skateboarding skills though; they take note of everything she does during competitions. She makes the sign of the cross before every competition and wears a gold cross around her neck that she kisses before each run.

“This is important for me,” she said of her faith.

Making of a legend

Leal first became an internet sensation when skateboarding king Tony Hawk shared a video of her at 7 doing a trick while dressed as a fairy princess. After her success in Tokyo, her popularity skyrocketed, and she had more than 6 million Instagram followers entering the Paris Games.

The public’s interest in her shows no signs of slowing down either. She’s gained about 1.5 million followers in the day since she won her second Olympic medal.

After breaking down barriers for years, Leal is thrilled to be representing her country and showing girls everywhere that if they want be skateboarders, nothing should stop them.

“The fact that we have a Brazilian playing in the Olympics, this makes the country very proud,” she said. “We know sports can change someone’s life. And if you dream high, your dreams may come true. This happened to me when I was very young. I dreamed of becoming a skateboard athlete and here I am.”