Olympia Andy MacDonald
Lifelong dream fulfilled – At 51, this skater becomes an Olympic star
Status: 19:22 | Reading time: 2 minutes
“Old is the new gold” – Skater Andy MacDonald fulfills a lifelong dream in Paris
Source: AFP/ODD ANDERSEN
Andy MacDonald is competing in the Olympic Games for the first time at an advanced age. The skateboarding legend, whose opponents could be his children, gets the crowd going wild. “I survived all the slanderers,” says MacDonald.
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Right in front of the skateboard arena on the Place de la Concorde there is a sign that seems to have been made for Andy MacDonald. “Old is the new gold,” it reads. The 51-year-old didn’t win gold or even a medal at the Olympic Games on Wednesday. It was over after the qualification. The crowd still went wild and celebrated the legend of his sport.
“I lowered my expectations quite a bit, I imagined the worst. In the end, it was the best thing I’ve ever experienced. I survived all the slanderers and I’m here at 51,” said MacDonald. He wanted to end the first run with a backflip, but fell heavily. In the second run, he finally managed to land the dismount.
Macdonald will compete in Paris against competitors who are sometimes 30 years younger
Source: AP/Frank Franklin II
MacDonald originally competed for the USA, but only two years ago he announced that he wanted to qualify for the Games for his father’s home country. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience to be at the Olympics,” said MacDonald. “I did a backflip for the fans, thank you very much and goodnight.” There are only a few things that bring the world together: “Sport is one of them and so is the Olympics.”
Two 16-year-old teammates
His teammates in Team GB are the two 16-year-olds Sky Brown and Lola Tambling. MacDonald could be their father – and yet he is the coolest guy in the shadow of the Louvre. Even icon Tony Hawk sat enthusiastically in the stands, as excited as any other fan. After MacDonald’s third and final run, thousands of fans stood up and applauded the American-born athlete.
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In the end, MacDonald finished 18th, directly behind the German starter Tyler Edtmayer. “He only qualified for the Games in the last competition. He put together the hardest run possible for him and managed it. That’s really cool,” said the 23-year-old. “My coach has already competed with him. It must be a really cool feeling to see him here now.”
