Entertainment
Tokyo Olympics: Love Island’s Laura Crane celebrates surfing becoming Olympic sport as Team GB ambassador
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Former Love Island star and ex-professional surfer Laura Crane has celebrated surfing becoming an Olympic sport at Tokyo 2020, saying that it’s ‘finally getting the respect it deserves’.
In 2018, Laura, who has competed in surfing competitions around the world, starred in the fourth series of Love Island, which was eventually won by Dani Dyer and Jack Fincham.
A year later, she was overjoyed to learn that surfing would be making its Olympics debut in Tokyo, which opened with a spectacular ceremony today.
As a Team GB ambassador, Laura, 26, praised the inclusion of surfing in this year’s Olympic Games, saying that she is ‘super happy to see’ it receiving recognition.
Speaking to Sky News, she said: ‘We have obviously the best athletes that the sport has ever seen, real true athletes, which is something I’m super happy to see, surfing finally getting just the respect that it deserves as a sport.’
Laura described the beauty of surfing as a sport, explaining how it can not only have physical benefits, but mental benefits as well.
Laura is a surfing champion, having competed across the globe (Picture: Karwai Tang/WireImage)
‘It’s such an incredible sport, it’s beautiful,’ she said.
‘Not only does it improve your physical health but your mental health, it does wonders, so I’m just hoping that it inspires more people to get involved into the sport. Let’s see!’
Laura coupled up with Jack Fowler when she was on Love Island in 2018 (Picture: Rex)
When surfing was announced as an Olympic sport in 2019, Laura remarked that it was ‘crazy’ that it hadn’t ‘happened sooner’.
While she will not be representing Team GB in the tournament, the former British champion admitted at the time that she wasn’t going to rule it out as a future possibility.
‘I think it’s a case of never say never but this next Olympics is probably too soon. I’ve competed for so many years, since I was 12, and traveled nine months of the year non-stop,’ she said.
‘I think it got to a point where I needed a bit more stability and the travelling is madness but I’m so happy I got to do that until the age of like 23, but never say never.’
More: Love Island
During her time on Love Island, Laura joined the show 43 days in, coupling up with Jack Fowler.
The couple were dumped from the villa after 10 days, announcing their split a couple of months later.
Love Island returns tonight at 9pm and is available to watch on ITV Hub.
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