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People may know Rayssa Leal from a Vine that showed her landing an incredible heelflip while dressed in a pixie outfit, but today she’s wearing something different: the silver medal she won for her performance in the 2021 Olympic women’s street skating event. She also appeared on the Olympics official Twitter account, which posted a “how it started, how it’s going” meme featuring the 13-year-old skater.
Leal’s profile on the Olympics’ website says that she was just eight years old when that viral video started spreading across Vine in 2015, after a version that included failed attempts and falls was posted to her Instagram. Since then, she’s been making a name for herself in her native country Brazil, and in US and global competitions, before eventually landing at the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo.
Updated: pic.twitter.com/O6uAkppJrs
— Olympics (@Olympics) July 26, 2021
According to The Washington Post, Leal responded to a question about her Olympic win by saying “I don’t want to have responsibility. I want to go on being the lively little girl I am for all of Brazil.”
You can watch the performance that earned her the silver down below, which ends with Leal giving the event’s gold medal winner Momiji Nishiya a congratulatory hug. It’s worth a view not only to see two thirteen-year-old girls show us what Olympic sportsmanship is like, but also for the absolutely incredible frontside feebles — for those impressed by Leal’s Vine appearance, her Olympic showing will be mind-blowing.
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