Archive · 13 Aug 2026
Olympic Skateboarder Danny León Times Perfect Jump With Solar Eclipse
A skateboarder from Spain named Danny León does tricks at the Olympic Games.
On August 12, the Moon moved right in front of the Sun, making the sky go dark.
That special moment is called a total solar eclipse.
Millions of people in Spain and Portugal went outside to watch it.
Danny León did a big jump at the very second the Moon covered the Sun.
He shared a video of the stunt on Instagram and said it was the best move of his life.
It was the first total solar eclipse in Spain in more than one hundred years.
In some places, the sky stayed dark for a little over two minutes.
People brought lawn chairs and umbrellas and cheered when the sky darkened.
Many visitors traveled to see it, so hotels became very full.
Spanish Olympic skateboarder Danny León timed a jump to the exact moment the Moon passed in front of the Sun, calling it 'the move of his life.'
The stunt video, shared on Instagram, went viral with more than 90 million views.
The August 12 total solar eclipse was mainland Europe's first since 1999 and Spain's first in more than a century.
Millions of spectators across Spain and Portugal watched totality, which peaked at about 2 minutes 18 seconds.
Spanish authorities expected at least half a million extra visitors, and hotel demand soared in A Coruña, Bilbao, and Santiago de Compostela.
- Who
- Spanish Olympic skateboarder Danny León, along with millions of eclipse viewers in Spain and Portugal
- What
- A total solar eclipse crossed parts of Europe while León performed a skateboard jump timed to the exact moment of totality, creating a viral silhouette image
- When
- On August 12, 2026 (a Wednesday), mainland Europe's first total solar eclipse since 1999 and Spain's first in more than a century
- Where
- A band across northern and central Spain and Portugal, with slivers of Greenland, Iceland and northern Russia, a partial eclipse in the Netherlands, ending over the Mediterranean
- Why
- The Moon passed directly between the Sun and Earth, briefly plunging parts of the planet into darkness, and León timed his jump to capture the moment
- Event
- Total solar eclipse
- Date
- August 12, 2026
- First for mainland Europe since
- 1999
- First for Spain in
- More than a century
- Maximum totality duration
- About 2 minutes 18 seconds
- Danny León's Olympic appearances
- Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 (men's park skateboarding)
- Stunt video views
- More than 90 million
- Expected additional visitors
- At least 500,000
