Tony Hawk Reflects On a Standout Moment in Men's Olympic Street Finals

Skateboarding. Olympics. Tony Hawk. These things are huge! And even though Tony isn't skating in the Olympics, it'd sort of be strange for him not to at least be there, providing moments of perspective like this.

As one of the many faces in the star-studded crowd during the Paris 2024 Olympic Men's Street Skateboarding Finals, Tony shared, "The men’s street finals was a display of talent like we’ve never seen. It all came down to last trick attempts in an increasingly suspenseful score battle. But my favorite moment was this." Peep the clip below!

"It wasn’t for a medal, it wasn’t for endorsements, or even for television coverage," he tacked on at the end of his caption. "It was for himself, the crowd, and the spirit of skateboarding sans rules."

There's so much about this moment (and clip itself) that gets me stoked. The skater in the video is Cordano Russell and his story is super inspiring, for one. Getting some proper, well-deserved dap from The Birdman is always worth celebrating. But secondly, I just love seeing Tony's perspective on the contest all the same.

Related: Yuto Horigome Repeats with Olympic Gold in Mens Skateboard Street

With no shortage of incredible skating happening throughout the day, I'm humbled that he found this moment—amongst everything else—to shine a little light on. And it goes without saying, but any skater out there certainly knows where he's coming from. Nyjah, Jagger and Yuto each killed it in their own right. There's no denying that podium! But anyone and everyone who ripped that course deserved to be there nonetheless. It might be the Olympics, but the raw spirit of skateboarding is alive and well in Paris on the World Stage.

Seeing Tony rip around the Park course was just the Olympic cherry on top. Women's Park is up next, coming August 6th. If you've seen the list of skaters competing, you know it's going to rule. Our eyes and ears are wide open as the hour glass trickles away. Good luck to all involved!

Related: 14 Year Old Coco Yoshizawa Wins Olympic Gold in Women's Skateboard Street

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