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Alana Smith (skateboarder)

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Alana Smith
Personal information
Born (2000-10-20) October 20, 2000 (age 24)
Mesa, Arizona, U.S.
OccupationProfessional skateboarder
Sport
CountryUnited States
SportSkateboarding
PositionGoofy-footed
Rank19th (Street; July 2021)[1]
Event(s)Street, park
Pro tour(s)Dew Tour
Street League Skateboarding
Medal record
Women's street skateboarding
Representing the  United States
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2015 Chicago Street
X Games
Silver medal – second place 2013 Barcelona

Alana Smith (born October 20, 2000) is an American professional skateboarder from Mesa, Arizona.[2][3] They are goofy-footed.[4]

Skateboarding career

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In 2013, at the age of 12, Smith landed a 540 McTwist and became the youngest medalist in X Games history when they won silver in the women's park event at the X Games Barcelona.[5][3][6]

They finished first in the Girls Combi Pool Classic at the World Cup of Skateboarding in 2015.[6][7][8][9]

In 2016, Smith and Nora Vasconcellos joined the skate team of the Eugene, Oregon boardshop Tactics, as the brand's female ambassadors.[10]

In 2021, Smith competed in the women's street skateboarding event at the 2020 Summer Olympics, finishing in last place out of the 20 competitors at the heat stage.[11] In so doing, Smith became the first ever openly non-binary athlete to compete at the Olympics and had the pronouns "they/them" inscribed on their skateboard.[12] However, a number of sports presenters misgendered Smith during coverage of the event, including BBC Sport commentators and commentators on an international feed that was broadcast on NBC Sports.[13][14][15][5][16]

Personal life

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Smith is bisexual and non-binary, using they/them pronouns.[5][12] Other than skateboarding, Smith’s other hobbies include music, film, photography, and camping.[17] In 2021, after the Tokyo games, Smith became involved with a corporate- and athletic- coaching company Exos which focuses on creating safe space skate sessions.[18] Smith has expressed how skateboarding has helped them in dark places and wants to help others find the love of the sport that has helped them keep going.[18][16] Smith was asked why they made their coming out and sexual identity public during an ESPN interview and shared that they wanted to show the world a side of them that is very vulnerable and sensitive while representing and helping kids that needed a support system. They also had started binding their chest in 2016 and received top surgery the following year. They said their gender dysphoria started in their teen years due to Instagram comments relating to a change they made in their hair.[19][18]

References

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  1. ^ "Olympic World Skateboarding Rankings – Street, Female". World Skate. June 30, 2021. Archived from the original on July 27, 2021. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  2. ^ Dwyer, Kate (September 23, 2015). "This 14-Year-Old Proves Skateboarding is a Girl's Sport". Teen Vogue. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  3. ^ a b Harwood, Erika (September 26, 2019). "5 Female Skateboarders Everyone Will be Talking About in 2020". ELLE. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  4. ^ "Alana Smith athlete biography". X Games. Archived from the original on August 12, 2022. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  5. ^ a b c Yurcaba, Jo (July 27, 2021). "Unapologetically themself: Nonbinary Olympian shares powerful message". NBC News. Archived from the original on July 27, 2021. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  6. ^ a b "Alana Smith - Women's Street". USA Skateboarding. July 15, 2021. Archived from the original on July 28, 2021. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  7. ^ Khurshudyan, Isabelle (August 1, 2013). "Alana Smith blurs gender lines in skateboarding". ESPN. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  8. ^ "Alana Smith (they/them)". XSM Global. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  9. ^ Waldman, Celia (June 3, 2016). "X Games Austin 2016 Q&A: Alana Smith". SI Kids. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  10. ^ Blakely, Brian (August 12, 2016). "Tactics Welcomes Alana Smith and Nora Vasconcellos". Transworld Skateboarding. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  11. ^ "Tokyo 2020 – Skateboarding, Women's Street (Prelims) – Heat Results" (PDF). Olympics.com. July 26, 2021. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 26, 2021. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
  12. ^ a b Raza-Sheikh, Zoya (July 26, 2021). "Non-binary Olympic athlete continuously misgendered in sporting commentary". Gay Times. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
  13. ^ Bell, Brian C (July 27, 2021). "The Olympics and NBC failed Alana Smith and the non-binary community". Outsports. Archived from the original on July 26, 2021. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  14. ^ Padgett, Donald (July 27, 2021). "Nonbinary Olympic Skateboarder Alana Smith Was Misgendered on TV". Out. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
  15. ^ Parsons, Vic (July 27, 2021). "Non-binary skateboarder makes Olympics history – and is misgendered while doing it". PinkNews. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
  16. ^ a b Hendricks, Jaclyn (July 28, 2021). "Non-binary Skateboarder Alana Smith Posts a Powerful Message After Competing at Tokyo Olympics". Shape. Archived from the original on July 29, 2021. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  17. ^ "Alana Smith - Skateboarding". Team USA. Archived from the original on July 23, 2021. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  18. ^ a b c "Olympic skateboarder Alana Smith on mental health, chosen family and being nonbinary: 'I just felt like I was in the middle'". Yahoo Life. December 6, 2021. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  19. ^ "'We're out here, you're not alone': USA skateboarder Alana Smith tells their coming out story". ESPN.com. October 11, 2021. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
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