The Aussie teen handpicked by Tony Hawk to be in his new video game

At 15 years old, Chloe Covell is already a decorated skater, with an Olympic debut in Paris last year, five X Games gold medals and four Street League Skateboarding wins. But she admits her latest accolade is “definitely a unique one”.

The Gold Coast teenager has been handpicked by skateboarding legend Tony Hawk to be a playable character in the new Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 + 4 video game – the only female Australian skater to feature.

Chloe Covell at the launch of the new Tony Hawk Pro Skater video game in which she’s a playable character.Credit: Wolter Peeters

“I got invited to LA to do all the filming stuff and had all the green dots on me [for CGI]. It was pretty cool,” Covell said.

“Just to get all the shots of my face and stuff, I had to sit in this big octagon full of cameras. And I had to bring down a few outfits to wear so they could shoot them for when I’m on the game.”

Covell wasn’t even born when the original game came out in 1999. But, as her mum Julie said: “[Hawk] must have noticed or saw something unique about Chloe that would have been an asset to the game.”

Covell is one of eight new characters in the game, along with Yuto Horigome, Jamie Foy, Zion Wright, Margie Didal, Rayssa Leal, Aurelien Giraud and Nora Vasconcellos. Australian skater Shane O’Neill also makes his return, having first appeared in the 2020 release.

There are also a number of returning veterans, including Hawk, Bob Burnquist, Rune Glifberg and Kareem Campbell.

One of Covell’s latest victories was at the X Games in Osaka three weeks ago, where her final run was so perfect the commentators suggested she looked like she was in a video game.

“It’s super exciting. I feel like I skated super well in that competition and I had heaps of fun at the same time – it was definitely one of the best ones,” Covell said.

“I always love going to Japan and I just skated my best and was really happy that I got first.”

Chloe Covell playing herself in the new Tony Hawk Pro Skater game. Credit: Wolter Peeters

International travel and big competitions are now just a normal part of life for the 15-year-old.

“I used to get pretty nervous, but I don’t get nervous any more because I’m just used to it now,” Covell said.

“I know what I have to do, and I know what the competition is usually, but it can definitely change and everyone keeps progressing.”

The launch of the game on Friday was another milestone in a whirlwind year. Next up, Covell is back to the other side of the world for another competition, this time in Washington.

“It was a pretty hectic past 12 months. I was getting ready to go to Paris [this time last year]. I obviously went to the Olympics and skated, and I tried my best, and unfortunately, I didn’t skate the way I wanted to, but I had so much fun seeing all the professional athletes there, and that was definitely a nerve wracking one,” she said.

“But the last few competitions I’ve done, like the SLS in Santa Monica and the past two X Games that I won that was all really good, and I feel like I’m skating pretty well, so hopefully I can keep it up.”

News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.