The recent 2020 Tokyo Olympics came like a storm. It introduced the sport to many non-skater spectators and heightened the competition among riders. All in all, the quadrennial competition became a milestone in the sport’s progress.
If you were listening to the matches, you might have asked, who is commentating Olympic skateboarding? You may also be surprised to know Tony Hawk is one of the people making up the commentator team.
Keep reading as we learn more about this group of people, which consists of Skate America commentators as well.
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Olympic Skateboard Commentators in the Past
We know that the recent Olympics introduced skateboarding, the first in its history.
Skateboarders have finally had the chance to earn the glory they deserve. And one of the aspects that made the audiences curious was the commentating team.
Let’s get to know these people one by one.
1. Tony Hawk
Tony Hawk, who pulled off the 900, was the man the Olympic games needed.
Of course, if we check his resume, welcoming us are his 73 titles, vert skating records, and other popular moves like ollie-to-Indy, to name a few.
Besides his unmatched skating proficiency, he ventured into business, starting Blitz and Birdhouse, two skateboarding companies. In the late 90s, he had his clothing line and a feature in the Pro Skater video game many of us know. Sadly, he retired in 1999.
Who would have thought he’d make his public appearance as a consultant and experienced skater in the Olympics?
2. Johnny Weir
Johnny Weir languages proficiency is something many are curious about. Does Johnny Weir speak Russian? Maybe. He is self-taught, so we can only guess how fluent he is.
Weir is not a skateboarder but a two-time figure skating Olympian.
Like Hawk, Weir began working on his passion at the young age of 12.
Moving forward to his competitive era, Weir won one of his most memorable competitions in the 2000 US Nationals. Why iconic? Though he fell, Weir attempted a triple Axel.
Of his many victories, Johnny won the Junior and Senior Eastern Sectionals. And at 16, he was a gold medalist in the World Junior Championships.
In 2006, he represented the United States in the Winter Olympics, followed by another appearance in the 2010 competition.
3. Tara Lipinski
Tara has a common ground with Johnny as they both excelled in figure skating.
Tara won a gold medal in the 1998 Olympics, making her the youngest Olympian to finish at the top of her sport.
Moving back, one of her earliest victories happened when she was nine. And that was because of her discipline, training early in the morning and attending her roller-skating classes religiously.
After her glorious finishes, Tara got plagued with injuries. But that did not stop her from pursuing her passion for sports.
Ultimately, what made her part of the Olympic skateboarding commentator team was her experiences commentating in figure-skating competitions in 2014.
4. Steve Kornacki
Steve isn’t famous for being an Olympian or an athlete. But he is known as a writer, journalist, and sport-loving correspondent, making him part of the 6-man Olympic commentators.
Steve had a memorable appearance in the field of sports during the 2020 Football Night in America through NBC Universal. Eventually, his unique analysis style brought him to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
5. Mary Carillo
You say, athlete or sportscaster? Mary Carillo does both.
Mary was once 33rd in the World Women’s Tennis Association, the highest in her career. Indeed, she would have reached higher and won more had she retired later than 1980, when she was 23.
Nonetheless, she had quite a successful career, having won the French Open mixed doubles and become the quarterfinalist in world tournaments on many occasions.
Despite retiring early, Mary had a flourishing career in sportscasting. She is a Tennis on NBC analyst, backed by her experiences at PBS, ESPN, and CBS.
6. Jimmy Roberts
Completing the Olympic commentating broadcast is Jimmy Roberts, the man behind Golf Channel interviews.
One of his most remarkable stints as a journalist was during his role as a writer and producer at ABC.
We can also say Jimmy is a sports enthusiast. With NBC, he’s covered the 2000 American League Championship Series and French Open, to name a few.
The other jobs he had were hosting Notre Dame football’s halftime show and reporting on horse racing. Ultimately, he has covered 17 Olympic Games in his career.
Have Figure Skating Announcers Got Suspended Before?
The most recent figure skating announcers suspended were two British commentators, Simon Reed and Nicky Slater. They referred to a coach using a derogatory slur, which was caught on mic, unbeknown to Reed and Slater at the time.
Conclusion
Skateboarding has long been a fun sport. Its debut in the Olympic arena made it more interesting. And what helps bring skateboarding to new audiences is the people talking behind the screens, the commentators.
So, who is commentating Olympic skateboarding? The answer is Tony Hawk and a group of Olympians, journalists, and sports enthusiasts. Overall, they deliver real-time updates and help everyone understand the game better.
Will these people still be the Olympic skateboard announcers in the next quadrennial meet? We’ll find out then.
Hi, I am Charles Harris. I opened this site to write as much as I can about my biggest passion – skateboarding!
I started as a clumsy yet passionate rookie 10 years ago to now a still passionate yet much better skateboarder! But I have to tell you, the whole journey has always been fun and rewarding, indeed not without hardship.