By: Bowen Wang

Andy Macdonald, 50, will compete in the Paris Summer 2024 Olympics. He will take part in the skateboarding event for the British.

Macdonald qualified for Britain’s team along with Sky Brown and Lola Tambling, both 16 years old. Sky Brown is not only Team GB’s youngest-ever summer Olympian but also Team GB’s youngest ever Olympic medalist.

Macdonald said to New York Times in an interview, “I thought I could make the British team. That was the part I was optimistic about. But beyond that, I knew that qualifying for the Olympic Games would be a long shot.”

There are 22 spots for skateboarding in the Games. He would have to make the semifinal in the Budapest qualifier to get into the team. To Macdonald, this was a challenge because throughout his entire career, he had never even won a quarterfinal.

According to the New York Times, “You get three runs. I fell on my first two. On my last run I pulled it off. I scored 11 points higher than I had ever scored on the tour. And even then I qualified by the skin of my teeth.”

He will be the oldest ever Olympic skateboarder. Skateboarding is like “the fountain of youth” in Macdonald’s words. This is partially because when kids fall down, they get right back up. But when older people fall, they might get injured.

Representing China, 11-year-old Zheng Haohao will compete, as well. This makes her the youngest person to compete in the Olympics. Many records were broken in this year’s Games.

We will see how Macdonald does in the games!