Tony Hawk Opens Up After Breaking His Leg, Says He'll 'Be Back' and Is 'Up for the Challenge' (UPDATE)

UPDATED 3/18, 11:31 p.m. ET: Tony Hawk took to social media to provide an update on his recovery, and revealed that he’s able to walk without crutches just 9 days after his accident.

“Day nine. My goal is to be skating at our Weekend Jam in Vegas on May 12; it will be the best birthday present ever,” Hawk wrote in a tweet that featured a short clip of him.

See original story below.

Skateboarding legend Tony Hawk took to social media to let his fans know that he broke his femur.

“Yesterday sucked. I broke my elbow 20 years ago and managed to make a full comeback; this recovery for a broken femur will be much harder because of its severity (and my age). But I’m up for the challenge,” Hawk wrote in his post to Instagram sharing the news, which featured an X-ray of his leg and photo and video of him recovering in a hospital.

According to TMZ, Hawk suffered the injury while skating.

Hawk continued, “There is a strange irony that this happened on the eve of HBO releasing a trailer for ‘Until The Wheels Fall Off,’ Sam Jones’ documentary about my life & career, which has a strong focus on the philosophy of how I/we do this at our age. The answer is complicated, but ultimately it’s because I have found my sense of purpose and shaped my identity through skating, and it nourishes my mental health immensely. 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.”

Also in his post, Hawk, who is 53 years old, thanked his family and fans for their support and acknowledged that although he’s determined to get healthy again he might never reach “full capacity,” something he said he’s already been dealing with as he has gotten older.

You can check out Hawk’s post below.