The 10-year-old skateboarder with an Olympic dream

The 10-year-old skateboarder with an Olympic dream

A senior GB National Championships is usually no place for a 10-year-old - unless it is skateboarding sensation Jaxon Popovic.

Born in Australia, bred in England and now adopted by Wales, Jaxon will compete in Cornwall - 9-12 July - with the aim of becoming British champion.

But do not be fooled by the tender age, he has not qualified to line up in an age-grade category or even to lock horns with other promising youngsters.

Instead, he will go toe-to-toe with 26 of the best male skateboarders the UK in the Newquay event signified by national champions, Olympic hopefuls and a £10,000 prize pot.

It is a remarkable feat for a child still at primary school.

But a quick glance at his career CV proves his presence should come as no surprise.

Notable performances in the last six months alone have come in the Survival of the Sickest series, a string of competitions organized by Skateboard GB, with a win in Hemel Hempstead last time out proceeding podium places in Birmingham and Cornwall.

Such displays have now earned him a place in the event he, and many others, have been craving.

"I'm excited but also a bit nervous," said Jaxon.

"I haven't been to that park (Concrete Waves) for about two years. But my goal was to qualify to compete in these championships and when I found out I had been selected it was really exciting.

"I've been competing in national competitions and they've been fun, but they were in age-grade categories so this will be different."

Jaxon lives in the small Pembrokeshire village of Solva and attends school in St Davids, hardly a skateboarding hub, and that means regular five-hour round trips to train at a skatepark near Cardiff.

But his skill on a board was cemented long before reaching west Wales. Born in Darwin, a love for the sport was already evident by the time he moved with his parents to Somerset at 18 months old.

"Shortly before his first birthday we were in a surf shop and he became fixated with a skateboard on sale there," explained his Welsh mother Lucy.

"He would not put it down and we ended up buying it for him as a first birthday present. He was always trying to balance on it which is how this all started."

Jaxon was barely five when the practice transitioned into a desire to improve and compete.

A reputation as a rising star soon extended way beyond the west country, and while the move to Wales has increased travel time, it has not deterred his dedication.

Trips to a skatepark in Haverfordwest often culminate in fellow users halting their own runs to marvel at the child's ability on the ramps.

A six-month trip back to Australia in 2025 helped enhance development. While based on the Sunshine Coast, Jaxon was able to train and compete on facilities considerably more advanced than those back home.

Despite his obvious ability, the then nine-year-old Jaxon was ruled too young to compete in the Welsh Championships and only now is he eligible to mix it with professional skaters in national events.

Olympic legacy

But what of the ambition for Newquay? He will have three heats to impress, and then a further three runs if he makes the final stage. It seems the youngster is not there to merely make up the numbers.

"I'm hoping to put down a full run where you don't fall off the board for 45 seconds - the time you're given to show what you've got," he said.

"If I can do that maybe I can reach the final which is the top eight."

The goals do not end there and Jaxon is inspired by the sporting pedigree of his remote surroundings.

He lives in the same village that produced former Tottenham and Wales wing Simon Davies while his school - Ysgol Penrhyn Dewi - already boasts two Olympians in rugby sevens player Jasmine Joyce and sailor Mickey Beckett.

"I'd love to go to the Olympics," said Jaxon.

"It is a goal to get there. I know I'm too young at the moment (for Los Angeles) but I would love to be in the Games in Australia. But I know I have a lot of work to do first."

That dream will have to wait until 2032 and a return to Australia for the Games in Brisbane as he will not have reached the required age of 14 to compete in Los Angeles in two years' time.

For now though, the focus in on Newquay. But whatever his roots, and whatever transpires in his career, it is worth people in Wales noting the name Jaxon Popovic.