The most famous skateboarder of all time — a local athlete who was able to legitimately claim a spot in San Diego’s former Hall of Champions museum — posted an X-ray on social media Tuesday of a badly broken femur.
“Yesterday sucked,” began Hawk’s post, and he wasn’t wrong.
In before and after photos that are not for the squeamish, Hawk’s femur is in two visibly very distinct pieces, overlapping what looks like inches. In the after photo, four surgical screws are visible, three of them looking VERY, VERY LONG.
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However, in an accompanying video, Encinitas’ most famous resident is seen taking a stroll with the aid of crutches and then, remarkably, 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 his IG post, Hawk talks 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 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. ...”
In the three hours after the post, it had been liked by more than 320,000 fans.
Surprisingly, Hawk never mentions how he broke his leg. Maybe he just assumed that people would know?
And how’s he doing now? Here’s a clue: Minutes after informing the world about the threat to his skateboarding future, the Xtreme sports star had the presence of mind to put up another post, this one of his wife, Catherine Goodman, and daughter, wishing a “Happy International Women’s Day to my beautiful, strong, funny, talented, empathetic girls that make the world a better place in countless ways.”
There’s only one Tony Hawk, right?
