Older athletes won spectators’ hearts, if not always medals, in Paris. Among them was Team GB’s “rad dad” Andy Macdonald, who became the oldest Olympic skateboarder in history, despite coming up against competitors as young as 17.
Although Macdonald was knocked out of the skateboarding final, the 51-year-old, a professional skateboarder since 1994, dazzled in front of a packed Parisian crowd, many of whom were visibly stunned by his moves.
Born in Massachusetts with a father from Luton, the veteran is well known in skateboarding circles as a nine-time world champion in the World Cup Skateboarding Series. Speaking about qualifying for Paris, Macdonald told reporters: “I said to my coach and team manager, ‘I’m going to embarrass you. I’m sorry, I’m just going to ham it up and have so much fun.’”
He added: “After you reach 50, you’re not self-conscious. I’m just going to enjoy myself to the fullest and hopefully that will come through for skateboarding. I feel like I’m representing for the old dudes.”
