It’s been six years since legendary pro skater Tony Hawk posted a tweet that went viral and shot Rayssa Leal to internet stardom as the fairy princess skater. She’s clearly been working hard since then, as she showed us all when she won the silver medal for Brazil at the Tokyo Olympics in July 2021.
She credits her family’s support of her and her goals, and says they never put up gender barriers around any activities, which allowed her to be serious about what has traditionally been a male-dominated sport. As you can see in the tweet, Rayssa keeps getting up and trying again, no matter how many times she falls. Persistence pays off.
No one becomes an Olympic athlete overnight (the hilarious Rob & Rom Vs Team GB special notwithstanding), and champions like Rayssa show the rest of us that greatness can only be achieved by trying, failing and trying again.
