Athlete Profile
Sky Brown Returns to X Games
By Colin Bane
Brett Wilhelm/X Games
Sky Brown absolutely demolished...
the Women’s Skateboard Park competition at X Games in 2021 and 2022, collecting two gold medals and appearing unbeatable. But she hasn’t attended an X Games since. She swears it was nothing personal.
“I’ve wanted to be at every X Games,” Sky says, explaining the two-year gap that was longer than she anticipated. “X Games is my favorite contest! My problem is that I want to be at every contest in skateboarding and surfing. I also want to be traveling and staying at home and cooking Japanese curry with my mom and being 16 years old and hanging out with my friends and family and being everywhere and doing everything all at once, basically. I’ve had to try to find some balance, especially as I’ve had some injuries.”
And now she’s back. Expect fans in Japan to go wild for Sky’s return at X Games Chiba 2024, her first time competing in Japan’s X Games in the three years that Chiba has hosted. She’ll be on home turf: Sky now spends most of her time in Chiba after living for much of the last decade in California, and she says nobody is looking forward to X Games Chiba more than her.
“I’m excited to bring my family and friends to come watch,” Sky says. “And I get to show so many of my best friends around what has become my new home and one of my favorite places.”
She already considers Chiba’s JF Skatepark Torami her new home park, and the city’s Tsurigasaki Beach is her new home surf break. “I have so much love for Japan!” Sky exclaims. “I grew up here. I’m half-Japanese. My favorite food is here. I love the skateboarding and surfing culture here. So I’m super excited to be back at X Games, skating in front of the crowd and putting on a good show for everyone.”
Sky also is excited to introduce Japan (and the world) to Tanabata Skateboards, a new venture she recently launched with her family and a close group of friends. She’ll meet fans at a deck signing during X Games Chiba.
Warrior Woman
Though she’s all positive vibes as always, Sky admits 2024 has been a heck of a year. She tried (and missed) qualifying for surfing at the Olympics. Then she went all-in on skateboarding -- filming a pro video part for Nike SB with skate cinematography legend Ty Evans -- but tore the MCL in her right knee in April.
The video dropped in June 2024, timed to pair with the release of both her signature colorway of the Nike SB Zoom Pogo Plus shoe and her guest deck from Toy Machine Skateboards (she’s donating all proceeds of sales from the latter to Skateistan, her favorite non-profit).
Despite the knee injury, Brown entered the Paris Olympics ranked #2 in the world for women’s park. Then, another setback. “I dislocated my left shoulder the day before I left for the Olympics and then dislocated it a little bit again during the Olympics -- twice!” Sky says. She still earned her second Olympic bronze medal and considers it a personal triumph. “I was honored just to be a part of it and take another bronze medal after doubting if I could even compete. I was smiling as if I’d won gold.”
And the shoulder remains an issue as X Games Chiba nears. “I was supposed to have shoulder surgery right when I got back from the Olympics, but I held off just for X Games Chiba,” she says. “I couldn’t resist the chance to skate X Games here at home with my best friends.”
A Worthy Opponent
Another reason Sky is excited to be back at X Games? The rise of Arisa Trew -- who has earned FOUR X Games gold medals since 2023 -- has Sky freshly energized to charge.
“Every time I see Arisa, she’ll bust out a new trick! She’s really pushing the level and the boundaries, and I’m so happy that I get to compete with her,” Sky says. “She’s a very cool girl, too, very fun, and just the sweetest person ever. One minute she’s doing TikTok dances and sharing memes, and then the next she’ll bust out a body varial 540 or a 900 or some NBD. I love everything about her!”
Arisa scored double gold in Park and Vert at both X Games California 2023 and XG Ventura 2024. Trew and Brown have only competed against each other twice, with Arisa claiming both meetings: the Paris Olympics and June’s final Olympic qualifier event in Budapest. Sky says she loves to see it, especially because of something Arisa told her when they first met: When Arisa started skating, she watched videos of Sky for inspiration.
"That’s all I’ve ever wanted to do -- inspire other girls and close the gender gap in skateboarding,” Sky says. “Having a big platform with so many supporters -- especially young girls -- telling me that I’ve inspired them to try skateboarding is so special. To hear girls like Arisa or [XG Ventura Vert Best Trick champ] Mia Kretzer say that I inspired them... Honestly, it gives me goosebumps just thinking about it! My dream is definitely coming true.”
Sky Brown Bio Blast
- Age: 16
- X Games: 2 Skateboard Park gold medals (XG California 2021 and 2022) from 3 X appearances (5th as a rookie at XG Minneapolis 2019).
- 2-time Olympic bronze medalist, representing Great Britain. Sky’s mom, Meiko, is Japanese, while her dad, Stu, is English.
- Her new brand Tanabata Skateboards (https://tanabataskateboards.com/) is named for the annual Tanabata Star Festival. The festival coincides with Sky’s birthday, celebrating the night on the lunar calendar that star-crossed lovers Orihime and Hikobushi (stars Altair and Vega) finally meet in the night sky after being separated by the Milky Way galaxy. “Tanabata is held every year on my birthday, July 7th, and has always been special to me. People write their dreams, wishes and aspirations on colorful pieces of paper and hang them up on a tall bamboo tree, and then there’s a big party with food and fireworks. It’s the best!”
- Social: @skybrown on both Instagram and TikTok