Keefer Wilson

When Keefer Wilson was 11, his dad built him and sister Aaliyah a skate ramp in the backyard. And not just any old skate ramp – at 8.5 metres tall and 90 metres long, it’s one of the biggest in the southern hemisphere. It is built to X Games specifications and professional skateboarders travel from around the world to train on it.

Dad Peter, a professional golfer and keen surfer, built the ramp with the help of some mates on the family’s property in the town of Nyora in Victoria’s South Gippsland.

“I wanted to have kids that stay outside,” Peter said. “I don't want kids to be stuck inside playing iPads and X-Boxes and stuff, I want them to be enjoying the land."

The investment paid off, with Keefer’s skateboarding improving dramatically once he had his own ramp to practice on.

“Keefer got on it in 2017-18 … and he got good really quickly and within six months he got invited to X Games Sydney as an 11-year-old.,” Peter said. “He’s the youngest competitor in X Games history.”

After X Games Sydney, Keefer was invited to tour Australia with Nitro Circus, but he was forced to return home when the COVID-19 shutdown began. Fortunately, the backyard ramp was there for him to practice on throughout lockdown.

Keefer landed a 900 – a 2½-revolution (900 degrees) aerial spin – when he was 12, making him just the third Australian to do so.  He is also the only Australian to land a body varial 900, which involves added a 180-degree rotation to the manoeuvre.

When skateboarding was added to the Olympic Games program in 2020, Aaliyah and Keefer were inspired to compete.

“It was only in 2020 that I thought, ‘Maybe I can do this as an Olympic sport’,” Keefer said.
He has since competed in X Games in Minneapolis, Shanghai and Japan, skating in the park category.

Keefer finished eighth at the Park World Championships in Rome in October 2023, where he competed alongside Aaliyah.

“It's really cool to have my sister with me for the big moments and I like being there to support her while she competes,” Keefer said.

“We really support each other by cheering when we are competing and keeping the energy high during training sessions.”

Keefer was on top of the pile at an Olympic qualification event in Shanghai, China, in May 2024, where he defeated a star-studded field including world champion Gavin Bottger of the US.