Tony Hawk has revealed that a recent skating accident has left him with a broken femur and fears he may not ever recover to 100%.
According to TMZ, Hawk suffered the brutal injury while skating, with the 52-year-old confirming the painful injury in a post to Instagram which showed x-rays of his broken leg and a video of the skating legend in hospital.
“Yesterday sucked. I broke my elbow 20 years ago and managed to make a full comeback; this recovery for a broken femur will be much harder because of its severity (and my age). But I’m up for the challenge,” Hawk wrote in his post to Instagram.
He added that the injury comes ahead of the release of his documentary, in which Hawk vowed to keep skating until he no longer physically could.
“There is a strange irony that this happened on the eve of HBO releasing a trailer for Until The Wheels Fall Off, Sam Jones’ documentary about my life & career, which has a strong focus on the philosophy of how I/we do this at our age,” he said.
Hawk continued, “The answer is complicated, but ultimately it’s because I have found my sense of purpose and shaped my identity through skating, and it nourishes my mental health immensely.
He continued, “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.”
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Despite his gruelling recovery, Tony was adamant he would do his best to return to the sport he loves.
“I’ll be back… maybe not at full capacity but I resigned to that notion years ago as I approached “mid-life,” he said.
“Thanks to my unyieldingly supportive, tolerant family – and all of you – for the love and support through the years; I wouldn’t be here without you. See you on the other side.”
Long considered the greatest skateboarder of all time, Hawk is known for his slew of sporting accolades, his line of successful Tony Hawk Pro Skater video games, and, of course, becoming the first known skater to complete a 900 during the 1999 X Games 5.
Check out Tony Hawk landing the world’s first skateboard 900:
.@tonyhawk landed the world’s first skateboard 900 in Vert Best Trick at #XGames 1999. He’d go on to earn 10 gold medals and an incredible 16 medals in 17 competition starts.
Our #XGamesVault opens tonight, March 31 on ESPN2 from 7pm – 1am ET! pic.twitter.com/Y9cB270hqR
— X Games (@XGames) March 31, 2020
