Skateboarding often favors the young. The gold medalists in Tokyo in 2021, when the sport made its Olympic debut, were 22, 19, 18 and 13. An 11-year-old, Zheng Haohao of China, will compete in Paris this summer.
So will Andy Macdonald. He’s 50.
Macdonald, who was born in the United States but is representing Britain because he has a British father, will be 51 by the time he competes in the park event, in which skaters do tricks in a bowl with ramps, bumps and pipes. (The other event, street, mimics an urban environment with elements like stairs, handrails and curbs.)
He qualified for Britain’s team by finishing high enough in the Olympic Qualifier Series this year, along with the teenagers Sky Brown and Lola Tambling, both younger than the oldest of Macdonald’s three children.
Macdonald will be the oldest skateboarder at the Games.
Macdonald spoke with The New York Times about skating, aging and being a first-time Olympian.