Yet the 20-year-old skateboarder overcame it all to become one of the most talked-about stars of the Tokyo 2020 Games, despite not winning a medal.
For Smith, the real prize came in being “authentically myself” at an Olympics that had never seen so many openly lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender competitors.
Pictures of the American carrying a board showing “they/them” pronouns went viral, as Smith became one of the first Olympians to come out as non-binary – neither male nor female, using neither “she” nor “he”.
Though Smith came last in qualifying for women’s park skateboarding – doing tricks on steps, rails and ramps – they had a good Games. “There’s nothing I regretted… even with getting last place,” Smith said on a video call from