Andy MacDonald might’ve finished 18th out of 22 at the Paris Olympics, but his story? Pure gold. At 51, most people might be chilling on the couch, catching up on the news—but not Andy. He had bigger plans. Despite being older than most of his competitors, he embarked on a thrilling journey to secure his spot in the Olympic Games. To put it into perspective, his British teammates were

16-year-olds Sky Brown and Lola Tambling—talk about the generation gap!

The road to Paris wasn’t exactly a smooth ride, but MacDonald embraced every bump along the way, finding joy in the challenge of qualifying. Reflecting on his feelings, the 51-year-old mentioned that he felt surreal to have been able to qualify. Considering himself immensely lucky, MacDonald was overwhelmed by the reception he got at Paris. And now, advocating for the game, the veteran skateboarder has an upbeat prediction for the sport.

Speaking to the Olympics.com, MacDonald expressed his views on the future of skateboarding. Feeling all the more excited, he said, “I feel like [skateboarding is] doing for the summer Games what snowboarding did for the Winter Games… The street event, you couldn’t have scripted it better. How it came down the wire for everybody. I think it’s on its way to taking over as the main sport for the Summer Games.” 

The 51-year-old then went on to explain why he had such expectations from the sport. He stated that on the final day of the event in Paris, it was a packed house with 5000 people waiting in anticipation of what would happen next. Apart from the audience, there were a number of respected dignitaries that adorned the crowd’s section. Cheering for the athletes from the stands was the French president, Emmanuel Macron. 

There were big names like Snoop Dogg and skating legend Tony Hawk in the crowd, which added even more star power to the skateboarding event. Andy MacDonald called it the highlight of the Games, especially because the street skateboarding finals were so intense, with everything coming down to the last moments.

That energy made Andy feel even more confident that skateboarding is on its way to becoming one of the biggest sports in the Summer Olympics—and maybe even taking over as the main event in the future. Speaking of Tony Hawk, the legendary skater has a special bond with Andy—he’s not just a fellow skating icon but also Andy’s best friend.

Tony Hawk cheered for Andy MacDonald during the Paris Olympics

The friendship between Tony Hawk and Andy MacDonald goes way back—over 30 years, in fact! The two were skating buddies at the X Games, with their partnership in vert doubles between 1997 and 2002 being one of their highlights. Tony Hawk (a.k.a. Birdman) even mentioned in August 2024 that they’ve been friends for more than three decades. Fast forward to 2016, and Andy set an ambitious goal: he wanted to compete in the Olympics as he neared 50.

Thus, when the 51-year-old skateboarder competed in Paris, Hawk made sure to cheer for his best friend from the stands. Every time MacDonald would turn up in a race at the Place de la Concorde, the camera panned to the legend, who could be seen jumping up and down in excitement. Adding to MacDonald’s surprise further, Hawk also turned up in one of his practice sessions. 

Reflecting on Tony Hawk’s influence in Paris, MacDonald stated that his best friend made him feel ‘at home’ in the French capital. Remembering Hawk’s efforts, the 51-year-old told Olympics.com, “They gave us the street course for an afternoon after one of the practice sessions. So Tony showed up early in the practice session and barged in… It’s the Olympics, like everyone’s stressing now, trying to get their runs together and stuff and I’m just like, “I’m here, Yay!” Thus, achieving a very special feat, Andy MacDonald will now look back at his golden time on the snow as his eyes glisten with tears of achievement and nostalgia.