Athletes

‘I Have a Lot of Grit': Tony Hawk Posts Skate Video 2 Weeks After Breaking Leg on Halfpipe

In the caption of the video posted on Instagram, Hawk vowed to skate at his Weekend Jam skate and music festival in Las Vegas in mid-May, even if it's just "80s tricks."

Tony Hawk
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Just two weeks after snapping his leg, skateboarding legend Tony Hawk is back on his board.

It wasn't a face-melting run we're used to seeing from the man who reinvented the sport, but it was a triumphant roll over the very spot on his at-home halfpipe where he fell and broke his femur.

"This is right where I slammed. Right here," Hawk said, one foot on his board, pointing to the ground with his left hand. Then with his right, he points a few feet over to the spot "where I discovered my leg was broken exactly two weeks ago."

Hawk apparently made it his mission to, at some point, skate away from the crash.

"I am now going to skate away from this area," he told the camera. One kick push later and he was off.

Hawk's caption included an update of sorts on his life since his big slam. For starters, he and his wife were invited to present an Oscar at the Academy Awards on March 27, and Hawk said he won't be using crutches, or a skateboard, to get across the stage.

"[The invitation] greatly expedited my wishful timeline for walking unaided. In other words, I don't plan to crutch my way across the stage," Hawk wrote. "Hopefully you're not watching the 4K feed so you won't see me grimacing with each step."

Skateboards and stages will be involved in another event on Hawk's schedule, though, and that's his annual Weekend Jam coming to Las Vegas in May.

The skateboarding and music festival is "very much still on," according to Hawk, and unlike the Oscars, Hawk isn't planning on showing up to present an award. He wants to skate.

"I plan to skate during our legends jam that night. I am not defying doctors' orders by doing so, and I realize I might not be at 100% trick / power capacity by that time. But I have a lot of grit... and many 80's tricks as backup."

The Weekend Jam begins May 12, which would put Hawk back on wheels just about two months after breaking the strongest and longest bone in his body.

March 8, Hawk posted x-ray photos of his broken femur before and after screws and rods were installed, telling his followers, "Yesterday sucked."

The post included a video of Hawk taking a hospital hallway stroll with the aid of crutches. In a photo, he's sort of grinning, standing on his own, though with what looks like all of his weight on what can only be called, well, the good foot.

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In the caption he talked about making a comeback after busting his elbow 20 years ago, then mentions the facts that this time, a recovery will be that much more difficult because it’s his leg — and because of how old he is. He said, though, that he’s “up for the challenge.”

Hawk went on to talk about how, in his new HBO documentary, “Until the Wheels Fall Off,” attention is paid to how he’s able to keep making eye-popping moves at his age.

“It’s because I have found my sense of purpose and shaped my identity through skating, and it nourishes my mental health immensely,” Hawk writes. “I’ve said many times that I won’t stop skating until I am physically unable. A broken leg — with plenty of hardware — will probably be the biggest test of that creed. I’ll be back … maybe not at full capacity but I resigned to that notion years ago. ...”

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