Skateboarder Uses Olympic Platform to Declare Jesus Is ‘The Way’
By Movieguide® Contributor
Brazilian street skateboarder Rayssa Leal pointed fans to God after she took home the bronze medal in the women’s street skateboarding event at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
When the cameras were on her, the athlete used American Sign Language to sign John 14:6: “Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.”
The 16-year-old skateboarder also took to her Instagram where she posted another Bible verse. This time it was Joshua 1:9.
“Another chapter in my story,” Leal wrote on her Instagram.
“Didn’t I command you? Be strong and courageous! Don’t get carried away or discouraged…” she included.
This isn’t the first time she won an Olympic medal. While at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Leal took home the silver medal.
She gave God the glory for her stellar performance then, too.
“I can’t explain everything I’m going through. All I know is to give thanks,” Leal wrote, translated from Portuguese. “Thank you God. Thank you. Family, Friends, @cbskskate. And to all of you who cheered a lot.”
Leal doesn’t let the pressure of the Olympics weigh her down.
“It’s like I’m in an amusement park and I’m just having fun,” she told Olympics.com. “Because I am doing what I like and what was my dream to always do. So just getting to championships and being with my family and with my friends is great.”
“It’s kind of strange to say that [the Olympics] it’s just a competition, because it’s not,” she added. “But for me, competing is totally different. I’m just doing my best.”
Leal knows the Olympics are a dream for many athletes, but it was always a goal for her and her parents.
“The Olympic Games are a dream for all athletes who dream big,” she said. “They were for me and for my mum and dad.”
Leal’s parents wanted to represent their country on the football (soccer) field at the Olympics one day, but they were unable to achieve those dreams.
“I was able to fulfill that dream with skateboarding,” Leal said.
