Birdhouse Skateboards business owner and vert legend Tony Hawk had to give flowers to his fellow skate icon Andy Macdonald at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
Hawk was really impressed with Macdonald's skill and commitment. Macdonald, at 51, reached his goal of making it to the Olympic Games by showing how adaptable and determined he is to succeed in a different skateboarding category.
Hawk gave props to Macdonald for putting in the effort, having mad skills, and being super dedicated to skating. Hawk made it clear that Macdonald's win is a big deal for their generation on the world stage.
The Birdman posted, "I’ve been friends with this guy for the last 30 years and he is one of the most talented, hardcore skaters you’ll ever meet. And he set his sights on an audacious, outlandish goal in 2016: to qualify for the Olympic games as he approached the age of 50. I watched him from afar modify (compromise) his vertical skill set to the smaller transitions & walls of park events, struggling to get enough height for flip tricks and proper spins. But he persevered with his deep bag of tricks and made it work, flying to every event, quietly collecting points in hopes of making the crucial cutoff for Paris. It all came down to the last runs of the final qualifier in Budapest and the stars aligned. Some of it was luck, but mostly it was because of his resolute determination, hard work, well-rounded skills, and a devotion to skating unlike any other. @andymac720 is 51 and can now add “Olympian” to his storied list of accolades. Not that any of us expected - or even wanted - to be here in our formative years. But we couldn’t ask for a better representative of our outcast generation on the world stage. Allons-y Andy! 👴🏼🛹"