NYORA skateboarder Keefer Wilson is gearing up to debut in the Paris Olympics.
The 17-year-old flew out to Sweden over the weekend, where he will spend two weeks before meeting the rest of the Australian skateboarding team in Italy.
From there, they will fly into Paris at the end of July to compete in early August at the La Concorde venue.
“It’s pretty exciting, it’ll be an amazing experience,” he said.
Keefer’s father built a mega skateboarding ramp on their Nyora property when Keefer was 11 years old.
“The first (ramp) wasn’t for me, but it’s something I was interested in doing. We had to take down the first one, and when we built the second one, I started using it more. When I started to improve, I decided I wanted to work towards making the team. It’s been challenging, but I’ve been lucky to have these opportunities,” he said.
Keefer will compete in the Park category in the Olympics.
Preparation for the Olympics began back in January last year when Keefer competed in Dubai.
It was his first overseas competition and he was nervous to compete with the best.
He went on to the semi-final in Argentina, made the finals in Rome, and went on to compete again in Dubai and Shanghai.
The top three Aussies were selected for the nine-person team, which included Keefer, Keiren Woolley and Keegan Palmer.
The Aussies had to be ranked within the top 20 globally, and Keefer came in 11th.
“It’s amazing getting to see these places and travel,” Keefer said.
“I’d love to bring home a medal from Paris. I’m looking forward to representing my country. My mum and dad are coming with me, and the rest of my family will be cheering me on from home.”
Keefer thanked his parents, Skate Australia and his sponsors for the opportunity to compete and their continuous support.
He also thanked Tas Pappas for mentoring him and his coach Beau Mitchell.
Don’t miss Keefer representing Australia on August 6 and 7.
