'Bag of misfits': Veteran skateboarders flip out in Tokyo

Denmark's Glifberg and SA's Oberholzer, both 46 years old, competed and enjoyed their time in the Olympic spotlight

TOKYO:

Sky Brown and the teenage tyros of women's skateboarding blazed a trail for youth at the Tokyo Olympics, but a pair of old-timers have shown age is no limit.

Denmark's Rune Glifberg and South Africa's Dallas Oberholzer -- both 46 years old -- competed in the men's park competition on Wednesday, a day after 13-year-old Brown won bronze for Britain.

The two grizzled veterans failed to make the eight-man final, finishing last and second-last in the overall standings.

But both enjoyed their time in the Olympic spotlight, having taken up the sport when it was considered an activity for rebels and outlaws.

"I never would have thought skating would take me to the Olympics -- it was taboo, it was frowned upon, it was a waste of time," said the grey-haired Oberholzer, wearing a zebra-print shirt.

"But now it's more open and for everyone, and anything goes. I'm happy where skateboarding is now. It's just going to go up, big time."

Glifberg and Oberholzer have both had long and colourful careers in skateboarding, with the Dane even featuring in the first "Tony Hawk" video game.

He said the Olympics were "probably one of the most uncool things" for young skaters growing up in the 1980s, and something that he "didn't really pay attention to".

But with skateboarding one of four new sports in Tokyo, he said it was "a huge honour" to be the first to tackle the park course in the heats.

"We're here to show the world that skateboarding is a beautiful thing," Glifberg said.

"It's not about medals and records and who's the fastest and who can go the highest on a skateboard. We're here to show the world skateboarding in its truest form."

Glifberg admitted his advanced age prevents him from practising as much as he used to, saying "35 years of skateboarding will take a toll on you".

That marked a stark contrast to the women's park event in Tokyo, where 19-year-old Sakura Yosozumi and 12-year-old Kokona Hiraki joined Brown on the podium.

Glifberg, known as "the Danish Destroyer", thinks the next generation of women skaters will be "biting at their heels" for the 2024 Paris Games.

"Women's skateboarding has a long way to go, and the progression is rapid with the really young girls," he said.

"The older girls pave the way for the younger people, and when the younger people get a little bit older, they surpass that level that they've been looking up to. It's natural evolution."

Glifberg and Oberholzer are unlikely to be there when skateboarding returns in Paris, but the South African was happy to leave his mark in Tokyo.

"I don't have to prove anything else now -- I made it to the Olympics at 46," said Oberholzer.

"I don't think ever again there will be guys in their 40s. I think you'll be lucky to make it here in your 30s in the future.

"Rune and I are happy to represent the older generation and make sure skating is remembered as a mixed bag of misfits," he added.