In the decades since he first picked up a skateboard, Tony Hawk has performed countless tricks and halfpipe stunts, but another one of his signature moves is officially being retired. In a new video posted online through his Twitter account, Hawk pulled off one last Ollie 540 spin for the history books.
Did my last ever ollie 540 today. You can compare it with my first one 32 years ago. This one meant a lot to me https://t.co/tExDDRFzb4 pic.twitter.com/Ggql2uADtg
— Tony Hawk (@tonyhawk) March 18, 2021
"In 1989 I started trying Ollie 540's as a joke since it seemed there was no way to keep a skateboard on your feet throughout 1 1/2 spins in the air," the 52-year-old Hawk explained in an Instagram post. "But they've gotten scarier in recent years, as the landing commitment can be risky if your feet aren't in the right places. And my willingness to slam unexpectedly into the flat bottom has waned greatly over the last decade. So today I decided to do it one more time… and never again."
Hawk also performed what was possibly his final 720 spin as well back in January, remarking that age had caught up to him and the damage from dislocating his fingers made it harder for him to grip his board.
Hawk's final Ollie 540 has been recorded for posterity and is being transformed into a non-fungible token (NFT) that will be auctioned off on Ethernity Chain in several weeks. The exact date for when the NFT will be made available hasn't been revealed yet but it's a safe bet that ownership of the original video will fetch a high price when it goes under the hammer.
NFTs are all the rage right now, and if you're curious to find out why people are spending millions on JPEGs, then you can read our feature on how the entire craze works exactly. While Hawk won't be performing gravity-defying spins ever again, his digital likeness will still be up for a few dangerous spots in abandoned warehouses and derelict shopping malls.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 launched last year on PC, PS4, and Xbox One, and it'll be getting ported onto the Nintendo Switch soon alongside PS5 and Xbox Series X|S next-gen upgrades.
Darryn Bonthuys on Google+