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This 73-Year-Old Man Skating Like a Pro Is Inspiring a New, Younger Generation

As the saying goes, you’re only as old as you feel. For Igor, who is technically 73, his real age would be 30-ish. And he’s skating like a pro of that age.
Igor is a skier and skater, and a true inspiration. Igor is also 73 years old 8 photos
Photo: Instagram / Max Timukhin
Igor is a skier and skater, and a true inspiration. Igor is also 73 years oldIgor is a skier and skater, and a true inspiration. Igor is also 73 years oldThe custom-made, limited-edition, sold-out Hawk Blood Deck has Tony Hawk's real blood in the paintThe custom-made, limited-edition, sold-out Hawk Blood Deck has Tony Hawk's real blood in the paintThe custom-made, limited-edition, sold-out Hawk Blood Deck has Tony Hawk's real blood in the paintThe custom-made, limited-edition, sold-out Hawk Blood Deck has Tony Hawk's real blood in the paintThe custom-made, limited-edition, sold-out Hawk Blood Deck has Tony Hawk's real blood in the paint
Igor is, without a doubt, the motivational story of August 2021, the one thing you need to read before you realize you gave up too soon on your favorite hobby on considerations of age. It’s also the story that, now gone viral, is inspiring a new, younger generation of skaters into dusting off their decks and giving it another try.

Surfer Max Timukhin gets all the credit for discovering Igor, on the streets of hometown St. Petersburg in Russia. He says on his social media that he spotted the old man skateboarding from his car, and he stopped for a chat. Max got out and offered Igor his own deck, but Igor turned him down: his was much “cooler,” he said.

Then, the video below happened. Igor allowed Max to film him while skating and Max posted the footage to his Instagram earlier this month. From there, it popped up on reddit and, as it usually happens with videos shared here, it immediately went viral.

On his IG, Max said that Igor did not have a social media account, so he couldn’t be contacted for inquiries. He had not spoken with him to get his life story either, but he did know this: Igor has been skating since 1981, which is much longer than some of us have been alive. He’s also a passionate skier, which shows in his riding style, with the half-squat position and the way he controls the board in a manner that got some commenters joking about how he must have a gyroscope up his butt. They’re saying it in the most respectful manner, by the way.

Beside the fact that this is a very awesome and wholesome video, it also serves to show that you’re never really “too old” for anything as long as you love that thing and put passion into it. After one casual comment from someone in their 30s saying they wished they had Igor’s agility and flexibility today, formerly retired skaters decided to pick up their boards and try again.

It’s a great day when 30- and 40-year-olds find this kind of strong motivation to start all over again online.

Here’s Igor. Dare to be like Igor.

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Editor's note: Photos in the gallery also show Tony Hawk's limited-edition Blood Decks, released with Liquid Death.

About the author: Elena Gorgan
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Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
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