Gold Coast teenager Keegan Palmer won gold at the Olympics this week.
Despite being born in the States, the 18-year-old is a dual citizen who considers Australia home.
He often travels around the world to compete in different competitions, and spends time with his girlfriend when he’s in California.
Good life: Gold medallist skateboarder Keegan Palmer is dating American model Mikayla Harms
‘I take myself as a full Australian, it was where everything started, it was where I learnt how to skate,’ he told the Herald Sun.
He currently lives in Encinitas, California, but also has a home on the Gold Coast that is rented out.
When he’s in Australia, often spends a lot of time in Sydney with his coach, Alex Donnini.
When in California, Palmer spends time with his model girlfriend Mikayla Harms.
The young couple often share photos of themselves cuddling and posing together on Mikayla’s Instagram account.
Glamorous: Mikayla often shares photos of herself to Instagram for her thousands of followers
Strike a pose: Mikayla poses in a black swimsuit top and blue bikini bottoms
After his gold medal victory, the aspiring Instagram model posted a gushing tribute to her skater boyfriend.
‘Happy one year baby! CONGRATULATIONS on doing something no one has ever done before,’ she wrote.
‘I knew you could do it!! You are my person, no one else compares to you. I’m so lucky you love me and I’m so proud of all your accomplishments and the place you’re at right now,’ she continued.
‘Every day with you is something new. No one else does it like us. I love love love you and I can’t wait to see you.’
The blonde beauty accompanied the post with two diamond ring emojis and a heart emoji.
Keegan commented on the post, writing: ‘Wow thank you babe I love you so much and I’ll see so soon.’
‘Happy one year baby!’ After his gold medal victory, the aspiring Instagram model posted a gushing tribute to her skater boyfriend
When he’s not surfing, skating, or spending time with Mikayla, Keegan is politically active.
Last year, he told Dew Tour that he had attended several Black Lives Matter protests.
‘There was one in Cardiff the other day I went to check out and I also did the Black Lives Matter surf paddle out that they did at Moonlight Beach in Encinitas the other day,’ he said.
‘It was over 1,000 people in the water, splashing in a big circle. It was super awesome. It’s so sad to see some of the things that go on in this country and so good to see people out there protesting for the things that matter in this world.’
Fun times: Keegan and Mikayla are dressed in costumes for a Halloween party
Sweet: The young couple pose together for a selfie, which was posted to Keegan’s Instagram account
The talented teenager nailed his final run to snare gold in the Olympic men’s skateboard final on Thursday.
Palmer, 18, came into the final ranked fifth but quickly shot to the front, delivering an impressive first run score of 94.04 which left him as the skater to beat.
His competitors were unable to match his class in the bowl, with Palmer’s final run delivering an even better final score of 95.83.
Palmer’s gold medal triumph equals Australia’s best ever return at an Olympic Games, with 17 to date.
Global: Despite being born in the States, the 18-year-old is a dual citizen who considers Australia home
It was also the debut of skateboarding as a sport at the Olympics, ensuring Palmer has forever etched himself into sporting history as the men’s inaugural winner.
An emotional Palmer was mobbed by his fellow athletes at the skate park after his exploits in the final.
After he secured the win, Palmer clasped his hands over his mouth as the enormity of what he had just achieved began to sink in.
‘It’s an absolute honour,’ Palmer told NBC.
‘I’ve been training for so long. I’ve been working my ass off for a long time.’
Success: The talented teenager nailed his final run to snare gold in the Olympic men’s skateboard final on Thursday
Australian teammate Kieran Woolley said it was ‘sick’ Palmer had delivered on the world stage.
‘We are in a pretty strict lockdown but we might sink a few beers,’ he said. ‘I am so honoured to even call him my mate.’
Woolley went onto describe Palmer as a formidable competitor who ‘took it to the next level’ when he had to.
‘It is legendary – Australia’s first Olympic skateboarding gold. What a beast,’ he added.
‘He’s a super cool dude. We’ve been pushing each other and skating better and better.’
While watching his gold medal presentation, one commentator described Keegan, who turned pro at just 14, as ‘such a dude’.
Palmer was born in San Diego in the US and moved to Australia at a young age.
He’s been skating since the age of two and was competing in competitions at six.
Icon: It was also the debut of skateboarding as a sport at the Olympics, ensuring Palmer has forever etched himself into sporting history as the men’s inaugural winner