The 15-year-old skateboarder who carved her career at the Olympics

By the age of 15, Boipelo Awuah had already skateboarded her way into the history books. Hailing from Kimberley in the Northern Cape, she cultivated a love for skateboarding from the age of five. Soon, she was winning competition after competition and achieving national prizes. Awuah flipped, jumped, and skidded on her four-wheeled deck among the boys in the skate park. “I was the only female skater at the time in my city,” she says. But this isn’t the only thing setting Awuah apart from other athletes – the teenager is South Africa’s youngest athlete to be selected to compete at the Olympic Games . 

While she has always held fast to her ambition of becoming the world’s best female skateboarder, Awuah never dreamt of the Olympics as a tangible possibility. But when skateboarding made its debut in the 2020 Summer Olympic Games, Awuah had the opportunity to demonstrate her skills and mettle on one of sport’s most celebrated platforms. After qualifying at the Street Skateboarding World Championships, the teenager joined a group of 80 participants from around the globe in Tokyo. “Knowing that there are people supporting me just pushed me to do my absolute best,” Awuah says. However, amid the excitement and preparation, Awuah had an accident while practising and broke her pelvis. Under strict orders to rest, she was forced to withdraw.  

Despite this upset, Awuah remains determined to continue trailblazing the future for generations of skater girls. For most athletes, the Olympics is the sure-footed destination of their sports career. But for Awuah, it’s just the beginning. “Anything is possible,” she says. “If you put your mind to it, it will happen.” 

Footage and photos by Kimberley Diamond Cup were used in the creation of this film.