Tony Hawk pays tribute to friend Andy Macdonald for completing Olympic dream aged 51

Tony Hawk has praised fellow skateboarder Andy Macdonald who is set to compete at the Paris Olympics.

At 51 years old, Macdonald will become the oldest Olympic skateboarder in history when he represents Team GB as Britain’s first male competitor in skateboarding today (August 7).

On being the oldest competitor, Macdonald has said this proves “age is just a number” as he aims to “represent the old guys”.

(Those aren't the only firsts as Macdonald was also the first man to ever skateboard through the White House).

With a career spanning four decades, the British American started skateboarding professionally in 1985 and will be hoping to earn a medal like his teammate Sky Brown, after the 16-year-old achieved bronze earlier this week in in women’s park.

Now, Hawk who is good friends with Macdonald has praised him as "one of the most talented, hardcore skaters you'll ever meet" in a recent Instagram post.

The skateboarding icon posted a selfie alongside Macdonald with the Olympic rings in the background.

Hawk wrote: "I've been friends with this guy for the last 30 years and he is one of the most talented, hardcore skaters you'll ever meet. And he set his sights on an audacious, outlandish goal in 2016: to qualify for the Olympic games as he approached the age of 50."

"I watched him from afar modify (compromise) his vertical skill set to the smaller transitions & walls of park events, struggling to get enough height for flip tricks and proper spins. But he persevered with his deep bag of tricks and made it work, flying to every event, quietly collecting points in hopes of making the crucial cutoff for Paris. It all came down to the last runs of the final qualifier in Budapest and the stars aligned."

"Some of it was luck, but mostly it was because of his resolute determination, hard work, well-rounded skills, and a devotion to skating unlike any other. @andymac720 is 51 and can now add "Olympian" to his storied list of accolades.

"Not that any of us expected - or even wanted - to be here in our formative years. But we couldn't ask for a better representative of our outcast generation on the world stage. Allons-y Andy!"

In the comments section, people similarly applauded Macdonald's achievement.

One person said: " Proof that skateboarding keeps us young and can take you to places you would have never thought possible!"

"You truly never are too old to unlock your dreams. I'm so excited for you and everyone involved. Go crush it Andy," another person wrote.

Someone else added: "This is truly one of the greatest stories of this Olympics! Way to go @andymac720 OG and O-lympian!"

"Been watching both of you guys since the 80s. You guys make us proud to be skaters," a fourth person commented.

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