Christopher Booker:

At the age of 27 Tony Hawk was one of the x games' breakout stars.

But it was during the games of 1999 when Tony Hawk would become a household name. That's when he became the first person ever to land the famed 900 – 2 and 1 half aerial rotations above the ramp – a trick he had been trying for 10 years.

By the turn of the century, Tony Hawk had become not only skateboarding's global ambassador, but one of the world's most recognizable sports figures. His name and image could be found everywhere from toys to video games, to his own clothing line. He even appeared as himself on The Simpsons.

And the crowd's that came to see him, kept growing. All the while, skateboarding continued to evolve.