Great Olympic Skate Roadshow visits Whanganui's Kaitoke School

Top New Zealand skateboarders Matthew Markland (left) and Bowman Hansen brought a giant skateboard to Kaitoke School. Photo / Bevan Conley

Eke Tahi, a 12 metre long, 800kg skateboard, rolled into Whanganui's Kaitoke School on Tuesday.

Meaning "Ride as One", Eke Tahi is the name of the New Zealand Olympic Committee's giant skateboard that is on a 42-day roadshow around New Zealand to drum up support for athletes competing in the Tokyo Olympic Games which start on July 23.

Skateboarding is one of five new sports at the Tokyo Olympics and Kaitoke School children had a visit from two Kiwi skateboarders on Tuesday.

Matthew Markland and Bowman Hansen arrived at the school with the giant skateboard - but they couldn't show the kids any moves on it because it was raining.

Instead of watching tricks, the children listened to the skateboarders in the school hall.

Their visit would be a great inspiration, parent Sandra Lennox said.

"We are so grateful."

Despite the use of a skateboard in publicity, no New Zealand skateboarder has qualified for the Tokyo Summer Olympics. To do so they would have to be ranked in the world's top 20.

That could only be achieved by qualifying at international events, Hansen said.

The 28-year-old from Taupō spent seven years, until Covid-19 hit, in Australia to further his sport. New Zealand has only two Olympic qualifying events, and it lacks the advanced skate parks of other countries.

Hansen got to 26th in the world, but didn't go to the most recent qualifying event in Italy because Covid is making that country unsafe and he wasn't sure he would be able to get home.

He has competed in Asia, the United States and Australia and plans to try for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

There was no age limit in skateboarding, he said. Rune Glifberg, aged over 45 and known as "The Danish Destroyer", is in the top 20 and will compete in Tokyo.

Skateboarding has been an obsessive hobby for Hansen.

"Before I was trying to skate at [the top] level, I was skating 12 hour days just for fun."

His advice to young skateboarders is "be persistent".

"Don't give up, because it's one of those sports that's difficult but it becomes easier and easier as you start learning more. You are constantly learning new things."