U.K. national skateboarder joins 2024 Paris Olympics as the oldest teammate

British skateboarder Andy Macdonald, who turns 51 at the end of July 2024, will compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics in August as a member of the national team. He is the oldest player participating in this Olympic event.

Skateboarding was included as an official sports event for the first time in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The sport was considered a "youth domain" because the average age of the medalists back then was only 18. This makes him a particularly notable participant.

In his interview with the New York Times on July 8, Macdonald said, "It hurts more when you fall. It takes longer to heal. But don't stop. That's how you keep doing it into your 50s."

Both of his teammates are 16 years old. He added that he gets youth, exuberance, and resilience while staking with kids a third of his age. He emphasized that he is happy to share his knowledge and experience with the next generation of skaters.

Macdonald started skateboarding when he was 12. He noted that doing a '720,' which involves two full rotations in the air, would probably be the best he can do now, but nowadays, twelve-year-olds are pulling off '900s. A nine-time winner of the world skateboarding championships with a significant international career, the Paris Olympics will be his first Olympics.

Last month, he secured 15th place in the qualifiers held in Budapest, Hungary. The Paris Organizing Committee for the 2024 Olympic Games commented that Macdonald put everything on the line in his last chance after two failed trials and secured a fantastic fortune. He also noted that just making it through the qualifiers is already a kind of medal for him and that skateboarding is the fountain of youth.


Jeong-Soo Hong hong@donga.com