By: Youheng Zhong

As the 2024 Paris Olympics approach, one name on the roster has caught the attention of the sports world—Andy Macdonald, the 50-year-old skateboarder that will be making history as the oldest competitor in Olympic skateboarding history.

Andy Macdonald is a 50-year-old professional skateboarder. While skateboarding is typically dominated by teenage prodigies, like Sky Brown and Lola Tambling, Macdonald has managed to secure a spot on the British Olympic team. Macdonald has always loved skateboarding, and now it’s a lifelong dedication. He is most famous for his mastery of the half-pipe vert ramp.

Macdonald’s journey to the Olympics has been nothing short of remarkable. There are 22 spots on the British team, and to earn a spot on the roster, Macdonald had to first qualify for the semifinal at the Budapest qualifiers in the Olympic Qualifier Series. Macdonald had never made it to a quarterfinal before in the series.

Macdonald had three tries to make the best run of his life. On his first two runs, he fell. But on the last run, he pulled it off and scored 11 points higher than he’d ever done before on the Budapest tour. He qualified for the semifinals by a mere three points. But, he was headed to the Olympics.

“It feels pretty surreal,” Macdonald reflected. “I never thought that I would actually qualify for the Games, and when I started this process two and a half years ago, it was mostly just like this experiment of, ‘Yeah, maybe I can compete with 14-year-olds when I’m 50.'”

One of the driving factors in Macdonald’s success is his dedication and passion for the sport. He certainly has experience: over thirty years under his belt and eight gold medals at the X Games. Even though he can’t bounce back up from falls like his younger teammates, Macdonald can still enjoy the sport by sharing his knowledge concerning the origins of tricks. And although he’s slightly behind on skill, he can find inspiration in the energy and enthusiasm of his teenage teammates.

“They have the advantage in their youth. They can fall really hard and just bounce right up. They’re like, ‘Let’s try it again.’ And if I fell that hard, I would be out for like two weeks,” Macdonald said. “I have a lot of insight as far as technique and different trick variations that maybe they haven’t heard of or haven’t thought of yet and they can try. I feed off their youth and their energy because I just try to keep up.”

Macdonald’s presence at the Olympics is not just a personal milestone but a prime example of what humans can do with dedication and passion, even in “old” age. And Macdonald is all in when it comes to denying expectations around aging and encouraging people to do what they want–regardless of age.
“If I can motivate people to stay out there doing what they love to do into their 50s and 60s … we’re still learning how long we can ride a skateboard for, and who’s to say?” Macdonald said with a grin. After all, age is just a number.

Sources:
https://www.reuters.com/sports/olympics/skateboarding-macdonald-ready-get-down-with-kids-50-2024-07-01/
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/08/sports/olympics/andy-macdonald-olympics.html
https://www.nbcolympics.com/news/50-year-old-skateboarder-andy-macdonald-age-just-number