Team GB’s Andy Macdonald makes history by becoming skateboarding’s oldest Olympian at 51 after narrowly missing a spot in the finals at Paris – as he is cheered on by 90s skating legend Tony Hawk

Team GB‘s Andy Macdonald became skateboarding’s oldest Olympian but narrowly missed out on a spot in the finals at Paris.

Being cheered on by 90s skating legend Tony Hawk, the 51-year-old was unable to make it into the final of the men’s skateboard park event on Wednesday evening as he finished 18th in the standings.

Despite his failure to qualify, Macdonald’s appearance makes him Britain’s oldest competitor at the Paris Olympics and the oldest-ever skateboarder to compete at the games.

He is also Britain’s first male competitor in the sport, with 16-year-old female skaters Sky Brown and Lola Tambling also representing Team GB – the former being this country’s youngest-ever Olympic medallist after her bronze in Tokyo three years ago. 

Born in Massachusetts, USA, the father-of-three was eligible to compete for Britain thanks to his Luton-born dad Roderick.

He became interested in competing for the British team after the launch of the sport at the Olympics in 2021, as sponsorship and competition opportunities began to dry up for him elsewhere following the Covid-19 pandemic.

Speaking ahead of his good friend’s Olympic debut, Hawk said: ‘Andy is a prime example of how much discipline can pay off. He is a super talented skater, he can do all these really difficult tricks… but to transfer that skill into a park setting it takes a lot.

‘It takes a lot of adapting and it takes a lot of practise. If nothing else, he is one of the most consistent and disciplined skaters I have ever known. You can always count on him to do something amazing.’

Hawk was in the crowd as Macdonald recorded a best run score of 77.66 on Wednesday afternoon at the Place de la Concord- but was unable to catch the eight front-runners clustered in the high 80s and 90s.

Macdonald started skateboarding at the age of 12, and turned professional 30 years ago, in 1994. 

The legendary skater’s pioneering career has spanned nearly four decades and has seen him win nine world championships in the World Cup Skateboarding Series.

He also holds the current record for the most X Games medals in vert skateboarding, which was long considered the sport’s pinnacle event.

Macdonald and Hawk’s success in the 1990s was pivotal in attracting outside sponsors to the sport and it seemed only fitting that he should have the opportunity to compete at the Olympics alongside skaters more than 30 years younger than him.

As soon as he expressed an interest in competing for Team GB, Hawk labelled his long-time friend’s idea as crazy, but the National Lottery offered their support for his training and he was soon a British citizen.

He told the Telegraph: ‘Age really is just a number – you can do whatever you want to do.

‘For me, it’s skateboarding. For some other 50-plus person, it could be riding a bike or lifting weights. It is my livelihood but it’s also my mental and physical fitness. I never want to go to the gym, I’d rather go and skate for five hours a day.

‘If I’m home and take a few days off injured, my wife will be, ‘You need to go skate, you are getting on my nerves’, and I’ll always be better for it.’

But Macdonald’s journey to Paris was not a smooth one, having finished 40th in the first set of qualifiers in Dubai – getting through via the skin of his teeth as the top 44 made it through.

In the final Olympic qualifying series in Budapest last month, he produced the round of his life when it mattered most to gain sufficient points to scrape into the final 22 – after failing in the two previous rounds.

But Macdonald’s journey to Paris has not been a smooth one, having finished 40th in the first set of qualifiers in Dubai – getting through via the skin of his teeth as the top 44 made it through.

In the final Olympic qualifying series in Budapest last month, he produced the round of his life when it mattered most to gain sufficient points to scrape into the final 22 – after failing in the two previous rounds.

When asked about his advice for any budding skaters, young or old, Macdonald said: ‘Follow your passion, and ideally find a way to make a living from it. If everyone loved my job as I do, the world would be a better place. I wake up in the morning and say, “yes, I get to go skateboarding”. I feel like the luckiest guy to still be doing it.’