Most of the Australian population would not have recognised the name Keegan Palmer last week, but the teenager has become an overnight sensation with pundits drawing comparisons to the legendary Ian Thorpe.
Ranked fifth in world, the Aussie skateboarder entered the Tokyo Games with an outside chance of clinching a medal.
Palmer qualified fifth in Thursday morning’s qualification session with a respectable score of 77.00, but it was his first attempt in the final that caught the world’s attention.
The 18-year-old phenom pulled off a kickflip body varial 540 with the ease of someone playing a Tony Hawk video game, registering an imposing score of 94.04.
But he wasn’t done there, not by any means.
Unsatisfied with the comfortable victory, Palmer stunned the Tokyo spectators with an impeccable 95.83 in his third and final attempt.
Palmer had cemented his place in the history books,…
