Toronto teen Fay De Fazio Ebert will leave the Pan American Games as Canada’s youngest gold medallist.
The 13-year-old won the Women’s Park competition on Sunday, scoring a best of 84.66 points on the second of her three runs in Santiago, Chile.
Raicca Ventura of Brazil took silver with 82.54 points and American Bryce Wettstein earned bronze (79.95).
Ebert captured the fifth gold of these Games for Canada, which won four on Saturday. It also has two silver and three bronze.
The youngest athlete on the Canadian team, who usually practises four hours a day, six days a week, competed with a feather in her helmet from her pet duck.
WATCH | Ebert earns Canada’s 5th gold medal in Santiago, Chile:
Featured Video13-year-old Toronto teen Fay De Fazio Ebert won a Pan American Games gold medal in women’s park skateboarding, scoring 84.66 in her second run to earn the win.
The pressure of competition, Fay has always embraced the pressure of competition, she told CBC Sports this past April, whether competing in local events or against the best in the world.
“I like the pressure of having to do something in that moment,” Ebert said. “It’s a good feeling doing a great kick-flip or getting big air. I have never felt that I have to do competitions or train, I chose to because it excites me.”
At 8, Ebert was introduced to skateboarding and quickly became competitive on the national scene. She narrowly missed representing Canada at the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo, where the sport made its Summer Games debut.
Nine months from the Paris Olympics, Ebert is in prime position to represent Canada on the world’s biggest sporting stage.
“I didn’t realize it would get to this point, it’s kind of crazy,” she told from a Canada Skateboard training camp in California last spring. “When I was little, I thought maybe I could make it with running but never with skateboarding.”
WATCH | Ebert joins CBC Sports to discuss Paris 2024 quest:
Featured VideoFay De Fazio Ebert is a skateboard phenom who is only 13-years-old. She joins CBC Sports to discuss being a professional skateboarder, and competing at major tournaments.