A 10-year-old legless skateboarder from Russia has gone viral after getting shoutouts from legendary skater Tony Hawk and a popular Russian YouTuber.
Doctors in Far East Russia amputated six-month-old Maxim Abramov’s legs in 2011 after he was injured in a fire. A St. Petersburg family adopted him less than a year later. As he grew up, he learned how to skateboard using only his hands for propulsion.
Abramov’s Instagram follower count has shot up after Hawk reposted a video of the youngster performing tricks at a skate park Friday, calling him his “new favorite skater.”
The next day, Abramov got props from popular Russian journalist and YouTube blogger Yury Dud.
“Just look at how cool he is,” Dud marveled.
Users flocked to Abramov’s page — where he goes by the name Max Lullove after his adoptive mother — to post messages of support and respect.
“Big thank you to all my new friends for such nice wishes and comments. I’ll try to delight you with cool videos and photos,” Abramov wrote in one of his posts.