A 13-year-old skater who just won silver in Tokyo first found fame when Tony Hawk spotted her on Instagram

• 13-year-old Rayssa Leal won silver in the women's street skateboarding at the Tokyo Olympics.
• Six years ago, she caught the attention of skating legend Tony Hawk on Instagram.
• Hawk had shared a video of Leal performing a trick while wearing a princess dress.

Almost six years ago, Brazilian skater Rayssa Leal caught the attention Tony Hawk with a video of her performing a trick while dressed as a fairy princess.

Roll forward to 2021, and the now 13-year-old has just won a silver medal at the Olympic Games.

Leal finished second in the women's street skateboarding in Tokyo on Monday to become the youngest athlete in the history of Brazil win an Olympic medal.

Japan's Momiji Nishiya, also 13, took home gold.

"Now I can convince all my friends to skateboard everywhere with me," Leal said.

Leal's ascension to the pinnacle of skateboarding began almost six years ago when Hawk, a 10-time X Games gold medalist, shared a video of her heel flipping down a set of stairs while dressed in a bright blue princess dress.

The video, filmed in her native Brazil, went viral after Hawk shared it.

Prior to her medal winning performance at the Ariake Urban Sports Park, Leal shared a series of photos of herself and Hawk to Instagram.

"Six years ago he introduced me to the world of skateboarding by sharing my video wearing a fairy costume," she said. "Today, he filmed me at the Olympics.

"This is all so amazing, I'm living a dream! Thank you @tonyhawk to being so kidding and always motivating me."

Hawk commented on the photos, praising Leal and her accomplishments.

"You have exceeded all expectations!," he said. "It's been an honor to be involved in some small way. And thanks for the clips!"