In the heart of Bangkok, at an indoor skatepark, 12-year-old Vareeraya Sukasem stands poised atop a concrete ramp. With a swift, smooth motion, she propels her pink skateboard towards a steel handrail, perfecting her signature move known as “the feeble.” Vareeraya, who will be among the youngest athletes competing in the Paris Olympics this August, is preparing to showcase her talents on the world stage.
Five years after first stepping onto a skateboard, Vareeraya, affectionately known as “ST,” has secured her spot to represent Thailand at the Olympics. Her dramatic qualification journey culminated at a recent event in Budapest, making her one of the youngest competitors heading to Paris.
The final qualification event was a nerve-wracking experience for Vareeraya. Feeling immense pressure, she initially failed to make it to the final round. As she waited for her doping test results, she believed her Olympic dreams had been crushed.
“While waiting for my testing result, my mom messaged me: ‘ST, you made it to the Olympics!’,” Vareeraya recounted to AFP. “I was so happy. I screamed in the middle of the room because I was so happy that I had really made it.”
Vareeraya secured the 18th spot out of 22 qualifiers for the women’s street skateboarding event, set to take place at Paris’s Place de la Concorde on July 28. Skateboarding, divided into park and street events, debuted at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, where skaters are judged on the height and difficulty of their tricks.
Vareeraya’s journey to Paris began at the age of seven when her mother took her to a new skatepark near their home in Bangkok. Initially, Vareeraya thought she would be rollerblading, but her mother, Tulraya Chantawong, a singer and former contestant on The Voice Thailand, had other plans.
“My mother lied to me and said that they didn’t allow rollerblades, only skateboards,” Vareeraya explained. “I did not like it at first. I was like ‘why do I have to skate? It’s difficult.'”
However, under the mentorship of older skaters and her mother’s encouragement, Vareeraya soon fell in love with skateboarding. “I saw other skaters get their board on the ramp, and I was like ‘is that hard?'” she said. “I asked them to teach me the tricks.”
Vareeraya’s inspiration comes from Britain’s Sky Brown, who won a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics at just 13 years old and will compete again in Paris. Although they won’t compete directly, as Brown participates in the park event while Vareeraya focuses on the street discipline, the young Thai skater looks up to her British idol.
Vareeraya’s street skateboarding event will be held on a straight course featuring stairs and handrails, designed to mimic an urban environment. As she prepares for her Olympic debut, Vareeraya continues to hone her skills, ready to make her mark in Paris.
