April Skateboards pro skater Rayssa Leal has been included in the first edition of TIME100 Sports, a list that brings together the one hundred most influential people in global athletics for 2026.
She stands as the only representative from Brazil in this selection, drawing attention from fans and media across different countries.
Born on January 4, 2008 in Imperatriz, Maranhão, a region in Brazil known for limited resources, she first gained international attention as a child after a video of her landing a trick on a handrail spread online in 2015.
At just seven years old, she was seen skating in a fairy costume, a moment that quickly reached millions after being shared by Tony Hawk. That clip led to her nickname “Fadinha,” which followed her into the early stages of her career.
Her rise continued quickly. At Tokyo 2020, where skateboarding was introduced to the Olympic program, she competed at only 13 years old and won silver in street, becoming the youngest Olympic medalist in Brazil’s history.
That performance brought her into global attention and placed her among the most talked about young athletes of her generation.
In Paris 2024, she returned to the Olympic stage and earned bronze in a widely watched street final that drew strong audience engagement.
Her consistency across major events helped establish her as a regular name in international competitions. On the World Skate circuit, she has remained active, including winning the Street World Champion title in 2024 in Rome.
She has also become a familiar presence at events held in the Colle Oppio skatepark, where local crowds often show strong support.
Her recognition by TIME comes shortly before her scheduled appearance at the Street Skateboarding World Cup in Rome, set from June 14 to June 21.
The competition is part of the qualification process for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games and serves as the first major stop in the current qualification cycle.
If she competes again at LA28, it will be her third Olympic appearance, following Tokyo and Paris, continuing a career that began from a childhood video and has since reached a global audience through consistent performances at the highest level.