Cordano Russell, a towering figure at six-foot-three and 230 pounds of muscle, could easily be mistaken for a football player. In fact, after his performance in the men's street skateboarding final at the Paris Olympics, a reporter even asked the 19-year-old if he would consider trading his skateboard for a football helmet and joining the University of San Diego's team, where he has been admitted on scholarship.

While Russell did spend time on the football field in high school, skateboarding has been his true passion since the tender age of four, when he stumbled upon a discarded board in a bush. This passion was evident in his performance at the Olympics, where he became the first Canadian to make a men's final in street.

Despite a strong showing in the qualifiers, where he earned 263.87 points and came within a hair's breadth of a podium position, Russell's fate took a turn in the final. Multiple falls in his two line run passes, the core of skateboarding competition, dashed his hopes of a medal.

Reflecting on his performance, Russell admitted to feeling perplexed by the falls. "To be honest, I'm not that sure," he said. "The first line, the trick that I was starting with, wasn't feeling as comfortable." This initial stumble seemed to throw him off balance, leading to further falls in his second pass.

However, with a medal out of reach, Russell seemed to find a sense of liberation. In the trick portion of the competition, he transformed into a different competitor, effortlessly gliding down rails, twirling his board mid-air, and balancing backward on slides.

This newfound freedom allowed him to showcase his signature move, the Cordano Spin, a complex maneuver that involves starting backward, popping into a "fakie," executing a 270-degree spin, landing blind on the rail, and finishing with a 360 spin. His three flawlessly executed tricks earned him consistently high marks, with one even garnering the third-highest score for a trick in the final at 94.93 points.

"For me to put all those out there, those three that I've been drilling hours and just, bruises, and bumps, everything. Everything. Training, recovering, and for those to all go down it's very special to me. That is a win in my book," Russell said, reflecting on his performance.

Looking ahead, Russell, who hails from London, Ontario, but currently resides in California, is determined to return to the competition scene soon. And with his sights set on the next "four or five Olympics," it's safe to say that the world will be seeing a lot more of this talented young skateboarder.