This interview was conducted with the help of a translator (why at times, we address the question to an interpreter).
At 5 years old, Kokona’s parents brought her to a local skatepark and she immediately “wanted to be like the cool skateboarders” she saw there. Flash forward to today, and she’s a World champion and Olympic silver medalist. But for Kokona, it’s not just about the competition (which she loves) — it’s also about the “artistic side. When people watch films of skates, I want them to look for that.”
“I want to differentiate and then show my own style.”
Kokona Hikari
World Champion and
Olympic Skateboarder, Japan
That’s why Kokona is known for always pushing the bounds of what’s possible or been done before, trying new tricks and doing them in different spots in the park. She shares, “I want to differentiate and then show my own style.”
When asked what she wants to share with her fellow athletes she offered, “Lets make the Paris Olympics awesome with our girl power.”
“I want people to know there’s an artistic side to skateboarding.”
Kokona Hiroki
World Champion Skateboarder, Japan
