You Won't Believe What This Nine-Year-Old Skateboarder Accomplished at the Asian Games!

Nine-year-old Mazel Paris Alegado is already creating history as the youngest member of the Philippines team at the prestigious Asian Games this year. Undeterred by her young age, the skateboarding prodigy is determined to prove that age is no barrier to success.

Alegado, the youngest finalist for the women's park event on Monday, secured the seventh position out of eight competitors. Surprisingly, despite competing against more experienced athletes, Alegado confidently expressed to CNN Philippines Sports Desk that she did not feel nervous about the competition.

"Im really happy about it because this is my first time and, yeah, Im just really proud to skate in it," she said, after receiving a score of 52.85 in the final.

Olympic dreams

Alegado lives in the US, but trained in Portugal ahead of the Asian Games, which are being held in China.

She said she skated everyday for up to eight hours to hone her skills for the global stage.

"I wasnt really nervous, I was really excited about it," she said about preparing for such a big tournament.

Alegado said she was five years old when she first stepped on a skateboard.

She initially enjoyed casually riding around with her friends, but now she is determined to achieve sporting success. She expressed her aspirations of participating in the Olympic Games one day, acknowledging the need for extensive practice to reach that level.

Alegado finished seventh in the women's park final at the Asian Games.

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There is certainly precedent for youngsters achieving in skateboarding.

Hinano Kusaki, a 15-year-old from Japan, claimed the gold medal in the women's park event at this year's Asian Games. This achievement follows the bronze medal won by Sky Brown, a 13-year-old from Great Britain, at the Tokyo Olympics, making her the youngest Olympic medalist in her country's history.

As Alegado strives to solidify her position as one of the top skateboarders globally, she is eager to offer guidance to young girls aspiring to pursue the same path.

Her words of encouragement resonate: "Persistence is key, give it your all, and remember that if boys can accomplish it, so can girls."