Australian Olympic champion Keegan Palmer admitted that he experienced an epic moment with Snoop Dogg in the crowd as he defended his skateboarding title for Australia. Palmer has already won two gold medals and is only 21 years old, having defended his men’s park title at the Tokyo Games in Paris.
Only 24 hours after Arisa Trew won the women’s park event At 14 years old, Palmer was celebrated by the other participants with a big smile on his face. And the 21-year-old Australian enjoyed performing in front of the superstars in attendance.
Palmer brought spectators to their feet after his gold medal run and pumped them up after enjoying the interaction with the packed crowd. “It’s a wild, crazy feeling, dude, to be able to say I’m a two-time Olympian, let alone a two-time Olympic gold medalist. It’s a crazy, crazy feeling, I literally can’t believe it,” he said.
Palmer won his gold medal in Tokyo without spectators, but in Paris a raucous crowd, including skateboarding icon Tony Hawk, NBA superstar Devin Booker, gold-medal-winning French swimmer Leon Marchand and rapper Snoop Dogg, all watched from the stands. And Palmer said he couldn’t help but enjoy a hilarious moment with Snoop before his competition.
“He did something like a dance on the deck with me – but I don’t represent America, so he probably doesn’t like me very much,” Palmer said with a smile on his face. Snoop Dogg reportedly receives a huge performance fee for America’s participation in the Paris Games, but provided fans with plenty of hilarious moments throughout the Olympics.
Palmer was absolutely top notch after his win and thanked 14-year-old Trew for the extra motivation he received for Australia’s double gold victory. “I’m speechless. To be able to support Arisa yesterday is a dream come true,” Palmer said.
“We grew up together in the same park, Elanora on the Gold Coast. Elanora is the greatest right now! Arisa’s Gold was a hundred percent inspiration to me.”
Keegan Palmer defends Olympic title in skateboarding
Palmer produced his best performance in the first run, scoring a total of 93.11 points, putting him three points ahead of his nearest rival after the first round. And fellow Australian finalist, 17-year-old Keefer Wilson, was impressed with his teammate.
“It’s just his style, his speed, the way he does tricks and the way he puts lines together, it’s just absolutely amazing,” he said of Palmer. The Australian’s opening performance was good enough to secure him gold with one run left.
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Last in line, he was given a free ride and a victory lap. Palmer tried to top his first performance, but unfortunately fell while performing the tricks. But it didn’t matter. Palmer stood up and saluted the crowd as he walked to the middle of the arena and raised his skateboard in the air in triumph.
Palmer was later overwhelmed when skateboarding icon Hawke addressed the medalists after the ceremony. Although Palmer might be happy with two gold medals, the 21-year-old already has his sights set on what comes next. “That’s definitely the goal. I just need to make sure I can keep up with this younger generation,” Palmer added.
