Rayssa Leal was born and lived in Imperatriz, the second largest city in Maranhão, and alternates school studies with training. She started training the sport at the age of six, after getting her first skateboard on her 6th birthday, a gift from a family friend.
Leal first gained attention at the age of seven in internet videos of her skating in a tutu and jumping off tall structures on her
skateboard. Leal's mother filmed the video on September 7, 2015, and sent it to American professional skateboarder Tony Hawk. The next day, Hawk reposted on Twitter and commented: "I don't know anything about it, but it's amazing: a fairytale-style heelflip in Brazil". At that time, he always made a post with the best maneuver of the day. She was dubbed "A Fadinha do Skate", translated roughly as "The Little Fairy of Skateboarding".
Mendes Leal competed in the 2019 Street League Skateboarding Championship in London, placing third with a score of 26.0, finishing above Alexis Sablone, Letícia Bufoni, and other skaters but behind fellow Brazilian Pamela Rosa and Australia's Hayley Wilson. In July 2019, she placed first at the Street League Skateboarding Championship in Los Angeles, leading the podium ahead of Pamela Rosa and Alana Smith. Also in 2019, she won a fourth place for her first X Games appearance.
She competed in the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo at the age of 13, the youngest Brazilian ever to participate in the Olympic Games. In the skateboarding street competition she placed 3rd in the qualifiers. In the final, she won the silver medal. At 13 years and 203 days old on medal day, she was the youngest Olympic medalist in 85 years and became an instant celebrity, gaining 5.8 million new followers on Instagram. The young athlete also won The Visa Awards following her display of sportsmanship towards her opponents during the competition. The prize is a $50,000 donation to a charity of her choice.
On August 28, 2021, Rayssa won the opening leg of the 2021 Street League Skateboarding season, which took place in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. In the last round of tricks, Rayssa needed an 8.3 rating to pass Funa Nakayama and managed to get an 8.5 rating. It was, at that time, the highest score in women's SLS history, as no woman had achieved a 360 flip into any trick down a handrail until this point in an
official competition.
In April 2022, she won her first X Games gold medal, defeating Funa Nakayama and Chloe Covell. In November 2022, she won the 2022 SLS Super Crown in Rio de Janeiro. In December 2023, she won again the 2023 SLS Super Crown in São Paulo. In the final, she got a 9 rating for the first time in her career. This achievement also made her the first woman to get a 9 rating during the line section in an SLS competition.
The accolades keep stacking and Rayssa won't stop anytime soon. From cute grom in a tutu to absolute living legend at only 16 years old. Rayssa Leal is a name we won't soon forget. Check out her latest drop - Out There: Ryassa Leal now playing on Thrasher Mags Youtube channel!!
