Skateboarding made its Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020 last week with the street category event, where American Jagger Eaton won bronze, while Japanese Momiji Nishiya and Brazil’s Rayssa Leal, both at 13 years old, won gold and silver at the women’s competition. And someone witnessed the historic moment: skateboarding legend himself, Tony Hawk.
Hawk, 53, is one of the responsibles for pushing skateboarding out of the underculture and into the mainstream thanks to his new tricks, his constant appearances in TV, his own video game and so on. He retired in 2003 but this year he returned to compete again in the X Games.
Now, many fans have wondered if he is going to compete at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Especially since Hawk himself has shared some pictures and videos of himself in what seems to be the Ariake Sports Park in Tokyo.
Is Tony Hawk competing at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics?
Hawk did not compete at the Olympics but instead he flew to Tokyo to serve as a commentator with NBC. However, he also had time to test out the Olympic skate park before the start of the competition. During training sessions, Hawk also engaged in conversation with the skaters and took pictures with them.
Before the debut of the competition, Hawk also expressed his amazement in how far skateboarding had come. “As a kid that was mostly lambasted for my interest in skateboarding, I never imagined it would be part of the Olympic Games. It’s surreal to now be in Tokyo bearing witness to this milestone in the most unprecedented circumstances,” Hawk wrote on Instagram.
“A whole new generation will get to experience skateboarding with genuine public support and meaningful opportunity. I predict it will be one of the highlights from all of the Olympic Games coverage this year. And I’m here for it,” he added. The park skateboarding event will take place on August 4.
