Poppy Starr Olsen is an Olympic skateboarder who was awarded a Scholarship within the 2018 Sport Australia Hall of Fame Scholarship and Mentoring Program, and was paired with Athlete Member Layne Beachley AO as her Mentor.

Poppy was born in Newcastle in 2000 and was first handed a skateboard at age eight. She won her first skating contest just a year later and became a famous face at the Bondi skate park after moving to the beachside suburb.

Poppy captained Bronte Public School and was recognised as one of the top 12 most influential female skaters in the world at age 13, before turning professional at 16.

Poppy dominated domestic competitions throughout her adolescence and won a bronze medal at the 2017 X Games, while reaching podiums across the disciplines of Bowl, Vertical and Park. 2017 is the year she won the Women’s Vertical World Championships.

In 2018, Poppy won another world title, this time in the Park discipline, as well as multiple gold medals in Bowl. In 2019, she claimed the Oceania title in Park and the Women’s RedBull Bowl Rippers Final. Yet another gold medal at the Skate Australia National Park Championships secured her a place on the team for Tokyo 2020, where she finished 5^th in Park as the sport made its debut.

Away from skating, Poppy has also been an award-winning street artist, a student at the University of Newcastle, a pianist and a member of Bondi Surf Lifesaving Club, while running her own online business. She was also invited to deliver a TED Talk as a 14-year-old, and featured in the movie “Tall Poppy – A Skater’s Story”

Awards, Honours & Achievements

• 2014: Exposure Amateur U14 Vertical – 1^st
• 2014: Exposure Amateur U14 Bowl – 1^st
• 2015: Girls Combi Pool Classic Amateur 15+ – 1^st
• 2015: El Gato Amateur 15+ Finals – 1^st
• 2015: Exposure Amateur 15+ Bowl – 2^nd
• 2015: Exposure Amateur 15+ Vertical – 1^st
• 2016: Girls Combi Pool Classic Pro – 1^st
• 2016: Women’s Australian Bowl Riding Championship – 1^st
• 2017: X Games Minneapolis – 3^rd
• 2017: Women’s El Gato Classic – 2^nd
• 2017: Women’s Bowl a Rama Bondi Finals – 3^rd
• 2017: Women’s Australian Bowl Riding Championships – 1^st
• 2017: Women’s Vans Park Series Oceania Continental Championship Finals – 1^st
• 2017: Women’s Australian National Vertical Championships – 1^st
• 2017: Women’s Vertical World Championships – 1^st
• 2017: Women’s King of Concrete, Five Docks – 1^st
• 2017: Women’s King of Concrete, Newcastle – 1^st
• 2017: Women’s King of Concrete, Noble Park Big Bowl – 1^st
• 2018: Women’s Australia Bowl Riding Championships – 1^st
• 2018: Women’s Bowlzilla Gold Coast Finals – 1^st
• 2018: Women’s Vans Park Series Oceania Continental Championship Finals – 1^st
• 2018: Women’s RedBull Bowl Rippers Final – 1^st
• 2018: Women’s Park World Championship – 1^st
• 2019: Women’s King of Concrete, Prahan – 1^st
• 2019: Women’s King of Concrete, Noble Park – 1^st
• 2019: Women’s Vans Park Series Oceania Continental Championship Finals – 1^st
• 2019: Women’s RedBull Bowl Rippers Final – 1^st
• 2020: Skate Australia National Park Championships, Open Final – 1^st
• 2020 (2021): Tokyo Olympic Games – Debut, Park, 5^th

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