Paris 2024: An Olympic revolution is upon us that could see the Brisbane Games ruled by kids

Gone are the days where kids at home thought their shot at the Olympics was decades away. Youth-led sports are breaking through in a big way, so Brisbane 2032 might just be the games of the kids.

Australias Arisa Trew wins gold in the women’s skatepark final . Picture: Michael Klein

The kids are taking over the castle.

A seismic shift is taking place in Australian sport and the vibrations are set to rumble through the next eight years all the way to the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.

Australian children who were sitting at home thinking the Olympics are a moon ride away can suddenly reach out and touch them.

Arisa Trew, just 14, and Keegan Palmer, 21, two graduates of the Elanora skate park on the Gold Coast, won dramatic skateboarding gold medals in Paris.

Saya Sakakibara won BMX gold which was another victory for a sport which has burst onto the Olympic program with a swagger that has impressed Games officials desperate to reach out to a younger audience.

An Olympic revolution is upon us.

Do you think an Olympic revolution is nearing? Picture: AFP

Somewhere in Australia there would be grade five children who think they could go to the next Olympics in Los Angeles and be the same age that Trew was when she won gold here. It’s astounding. Imagine winning your first Olympic gold medal before your first sleepover.

Palmer saw the growth in his sport triggered by his first gold medal in Tokyo three years ago, now feels it will surge to fresh heights.

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That is one of the reasons why he is building a house on the Gold Coast and plans to move home from San Diego.

“Oh, 100 per cent I think people will see this one, see the crowd, Arisa just blew it out of the water being the youngest to get a gold medal for Australia,” Palmer said.

“The field I beat here was 10 times stronger than the one I beat in Tokyo.‘’

Palmer is thankful for his endless hours of toil at Elanora park which refined his skills.

“You know, that bowl is just breeding kids nowadays,” Palmer said.

Arisa Trew won gold at just 14-years-old. Picture: Michael Klein

And it’s Palmer who, along with his dad Chris, lobbied the local council to put in lights, so that himself and others could skate in less hot and humid conditions at night.

“It’s starting to pay off now because you’ve seen a lot of kids come through, you can just see the level of skateboarding growing in the Gold Coast, especially in Sydney and Melbourne,” he said.

So great is the depth below him that Palmer, after winning gold, spoke with sincerity about the challenges of keeping “the kids” at bay.

Skateboarding is a quickly growing sport. Picture: Adam Head

It sounded a little unusual coming from a 21-year-old but, when this was pointed out to him, he said the facts were the facts. He is a marked man and the pressure is coming from the people he is inspiring.

“I just got to make sure I keep up with this younger generation and be able to hold out. I’m not saying I’m ancient at 21, but look at Arisa – she’s 14 and already spinning 540s.

“And all the kids at the next few qualifying events leading into the Los Angeles Games in 2028, it’s going to be wild because such is the speed of the evolution of skating.

“But I won’t be over the hill at 25. That’ll be prime for me. I’ll be even stronger, healthier, have new tricks, like those tricks that I wanted to do today but was bummed that I couldn’t when I fell on the last run.

“So now we can save it for the next time.”

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Originally published as Paris 2024: An Olympic revolution is upon us that could see the Brisbane Games ruled by kids