Andy Macdonald competed in his first and last Olympic games in Paris this summer. The 51-year old skateboarder failed to make the park event final at the 2024 Olympics, but just being there was the culmination of a legendary career. Born in Boston, Macdonald was able to represent Team GB because his father was born in England.
When Macdonald competed on Wednesday, fellow legend Tony Hawk was there to watch and he appeared to like what he saw from his contemporary.
RESPECT. 🫡
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 7, 2024
51-year-old British skateboarder Andy Macdonald closes out his #ParisOlympics with a stellar run—and Tony Hawk approves. pic.twitter.com/ImP3oj737U
Macdonald scored a 77.66 which was good enough for 18th overall in his heat. Not that the score or failing to medal mattered. Macdonald has dozens of medals from the X-Games back when they were the Olympics of his sport. All these years later the Olympics of skateboarding is actually the Olympics, thanks in no small part to Macdonald's influence.
According to The Athletic, Macdonald and Hawk had been to Paris together before.
"The last time I was here was 16 years ago, and I was doing a demo with Tony Hawk inside the Grand Palais,” he said this week. “There was like 5,000 people in the Grand Palais, and Tony did a 900, which bought the house down, obviously."
This time Hawk was the one cheering.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Tony Hawk Loved Seeing 51-Year-Old Andy Macdonald Skate in Olympics.
