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Palmer, 18, showed off controlled runs through the Ariake Urban
Sports Park, landing lip tricks and 540 turns in the air,
netting a high of 94.04 in his very first run that became
impossible for others to beat.
Rather than taking it easy, the Aussie then bested himself,
showing off a 540 kickflip and throwing down his board
afterwards in excitement. Palmer earned the highest score of the
contest with 95.83 points for that third and final run, winning
high praise for the poised and polished transitions he made
between tricks in an unbroken line through the bowl.
"I came out swinging," said Palmer about his stunning first run,
explaining how he kept his routine close to his chest going into
the competition.
"It's just a huge honour to be on the podium with these guys, no
words can describe this," he added, saying that he has known
both Barros and American bronze medallist Cory Juneau his "whole
life".
Palmer, who has dual citizenship with Australia and the United
States, now lives in San Diego, the birthplace of skateboarding
culture where he has access to the world's best skating
facilities.
In the dramatic finals, Barros barrelled around the bowl, flying
over the park's centre piece island to earn his top score of
86.14, securing Brazil's third silver medal in skateboarding at
the Olympics. In his second run Barros showed off a front side
nose grind but could not reach the sky high standard set by the
Australian.
OLYMPIC DEBUT
Skateboarding's debut at the Olympics in Tokyo marks a turning
point for an activity that some die-hard fans, including
professional skaters, still have difficulty admitting is a
competitive sport.
Though Palmer admitted that there were always "haters" in every
sport, he still hoped it would inspire more people to take up
skateboarding.
"The camaraderie we have is unmatched in any sport, I think it
would be crazy if it wasn't in the future Olympic Games," Juneau
said.
Brazil's Barros, 26, was even more philosophical, saying
skateboarding could teach its participants and fans the
importance of patience and friendship.
"With skateboarding you're always falling on the ground, always
getting broken, your heart is getting broken, your bones are
getting broken," said Barros.
"But you have your people by your side to bring you back up and
fix you up," he said.
(Reporting by Mari Saito; Editing by Shri Navaratnam, Ana
Nicolaci da Costa and Michael Perry)
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