Skateboarding may seem like a pretty laid-back sport, but things are getting serious for Newcastle skateboarding champion Poppy Olsen.
The 20-year-old is due to fly to the United States on Monday where she will compete in her final qualifying event ahead of the Tokyo Olympic Games in July, where the sport is making its Olympic debut.
The Newcastle local said she had been training mainly in Sydney in recent weeks.
"That park is the closest thing we've got in Australia to what the Olympic set-up is, and what it's going to look like, so I've been going there pretty much every day."
Olsen is currently in fourth place in the Olympic points ranking and says she is feeling confident going into the event.
"So [I'm in] a pretty comfortable position. The top 20 get in, but only three from each country," she said.
Skaters get last-minute vaccine
Australia's Olympic Committee has confirmed it will organise COVID-19 vaccinations for all athletes traveling to Japan for the Olympics.
Olsen said she was incredibly grateful to have received her first COVID-19 vaccination just in the last few days before flying to the US.
She said she and her fellow Australian skaters got a call to say they had been cleared to receive the vaccine.
"But then, at the last second, we got the message saying 'You're cleared, go get it'.
"So we all went to the hospital right away and got our first jab, which was very exciting.
"We're very fortunate because I know there's still a lot of people waiting."
Tall Poppy: A Skater' Story will appear on ABC TV + iview on Tuesday, August 3
