At the ripe age of 52 (positively ancient in skating terms), Tony Hawk is not thinking about mortgage payments or future retirement, but trying out the skateboarding tricks of his teens. Despite a few failed attempts and multiple injuries, Hawk recently managed to land a 720 – 35 years after he was the first person to do so in 1985.
In a video shared to his Twitter account, Hawk nails the move – which involves two complete rotations in mid-air. The first couple of attempts involve some scraped knees (protected by pads, of course), and failed landings, but Hawk ultimately succeeds.
I recently made a 720 and it was a battle. The last one I made before this was over three years ago, and it’s much harder now all things considered: recently dislocated fingers hinder my grab, my spin is slower so I need to go higher for full rotation and…
— Tony Hawk (@tonyhawk) January 27, 2021
I’m really old. pic.twitter.com/u8pbwRhS9j
Hawk first achieved the move in 1985, after accidentally over-rotating another skateboarding trick, the Gay Twist. This time might just be the final bow for the professional skateboarder. Writing on Twitter, Hawk said:
I recently made a 720 and it was a battle. The last one I made before this was over three years ago, and it’s much harder now all things considered: recently dislocated fingers hinder my grab, my spin is slower so I need to go higher for full rotation and… I’m really old. I can’t say for certain that this is the last one I’ll ever do, but I can’t imagine doing many more.
As part of a bid to raise money for public skateparks, Hawk is now offering the skateboard seen in the video in a prize draw. All his fans have to do is donate money to The Nine Club super chat (the money will go to skateparks), and they will have the chance to win this iconic piece of skateboarding memorabilia.
For more amazing skateboarding feats, click here to watch Japan’s Kento Yoshioka defy gravity on his board.
Featured image credit: Stan Milosevic/Flickr.
