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Extreme sports have their own separate fanbase based on the stomach-churning moments that it provides. And among others, skateboarding or BMX riding have the topmost priority for coming up with near-death experiences. And as we know, if skateboarding is the realm of strength, then Tony Hawk is the king there. Over the years, Hawk has been motivating a wide range of people with his incredible feat. Just as Mike Tyson took his cue, Ryan Williams too did the same.

Williams, a BMX rider looks to Hawk for inspiration while performing his stunts. Likewise, he recently shared a video of himself doing a horrifying stunt and dedicated that to Hawk, his inspiration. What did Williams do in that video? Let’s find out.

Ryan Williams idolizes Tony Hawk

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Ryan Williams is an Australian athlete and the son of a BMX rider, his mother, who’s path he followed. He won many gold medals in the X games and Nitro World Games. Apart from marveling at the sport, Williams has a strong online presence that fetched him a great fandom. And just like his other videos, a recent video, doing an unbelievable stunt, caught the eye of his fans.

The rider took to his Facebook and shared a video with the caption, “The Scariest Double Backflip I’ve ever done. Nearly died but had to send it for Tony Hawk!” In that 16 seconds video, Williams was seen doing a double backflip while going from one loop to another. The slow-motion video showed how subtle his flip was that almost made him think that he touched death.

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However, as per him, the risk was worth it because all he did, was ‘impress’ his idol. Well, that’s the fandom of Hawk, where people even deceive death and perfect their movements to dazzle him. Although Williams is not the only one, boxing veteran Mike Tyson also did the same once.

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Mike Tyson once tried to do something similar

The former heavyweight champion once collaborated with Hawk in an episode of Hotboxin’. Tyson hopped onto the skateboard and tried to show off his feat, but soon he lost his balance and fell off the board. After learning about his interest Hawk declared that he would be more than happy to teach Tyson about the drills of the sport and made fun of his fall, “I would like to see Mike Tyson sitting on a skateboard, going down the Boardwalk in Venice.”

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Although, Tyson, a funny guy himself, took it in a light way and put a pun to it saying, “It was an almost good attempt of me killing myself, yeah. I almost died.” This is indeed the success of the skateboarding legend, that even after being distant from the sport for some time, he is still inspiring others with his legacy.

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