Shaun White thanks Tony Hawk for inspiring "8 year old pimply redhead kid"

Shaun White has thanked Tony Hawk for the "positive influence" the skateboard legend had on the snowboard superstar's life.

Three-time Winter Olympic gold medallist White shared his gratitude on social media after retiring from competition following the Beijing 2022 halfpipe final.

"Thank you, Tony Hawk. You were my role model at such a young age, and I'm beyond grateful, so many years later, to call you a good friend," White wrote.

"I don't think you'll ever truly know how much of a positive influence you were on my life."

The five-time Olympian White is hanging up his competition board at the age of 35, and reflected on how far he'd come.

"Tony showed me the ropes... (and took me under his wing when it wasn't cool to have a 8 year old pimply faced redhead kid around)"

Hawk had earlier told his fellow American to "Keep riding” following his retirement from competition.

Hawk, now 53, was a key part of the drive for skateboarding to enter the Olympics, and the sport made its debut at Tokyo 2020 in 2021.

White, who also has X Games gold medals in skateboard vert events, shares much in common with his role model.

They both have roots in Carlsbad, California – on the edges of San Diego. They’re both legends in the world of boardsports – Hawk as the greatest-ever halfpipe (vert) skateboarder and White as a snowboarding dominator.