“Olympic medals…step up the quality a little bit.” These were the words of Nyjah Huston, an Olympian who criticized the durability of the competition’s medals. Nyjah Huston is a skateboarder who took part in and won a bronze medal in the Paris 2024 men’s street event.
Like a lot of us, Nyjah Houston believed that the Olympic medals were of top quality and would retain their shine for at least a decade. Apparently, this isn’t the case. It’s only a few days after the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics and Nyjah Huston has a bad story to tell about the competition’s metallic prize.
In an Instagram post on Thursday, August 8, he showcased his bronze hardware, which looked very different from the shiny, coveted medal he received on a podium in Paris. “All right, so these Olympic medals look great when they are brand new,” Huston stated in his Instagram video post.
“But after letting it sit on my skin with some sweat for a little bit and then letting my friends wear it over the weekend, they are apparently not as high quality as you would think.”
In the video, he showed both sides of the medal, which had suffered considerable wear. “It’s looking rough. Even the front is starting to chip off a little,” he lamented. “Olympic medals, you gotta maybe step up the quality a little bit,” he added.
Huston isn’t a stranger to prestigious medals. Hence, he expected the Olympic medals to be of much higher quality than any other sporting event.
Who Beat Nyjah Huston to the Skateboard Gold Medal?
Huston clinched the Olympic bronze after coming third place behind gold medallist Yuto Horigome of Japan and fellow American Jagger Eaton. The final competition took place on Monday, July 29th, 2024, and it was a fierce one.
At some point, it looked like the contention for gold was between Huston and Eaton. But out of the blue, the Japanese, who was the Olympic defending champion, pulled off a final trick that turned the tables and won him a second Olympic gold in a row.
In the end, Horigome scored a massive 97.08 to take him to the top of the competition with a total score of 281.14. Eaton wrapped up his performances with 281.04, while Huston ended with 279.38.
Is Nyjah Huston the Best Skateboarder Ever?
Many people consider Nyjah Huston the best skateboarder of his generation and probably the best. The skateboarding world respects him for his outstanding technical skills and a seemingly unending list of skills.
Surprisingly, an Olympic medal has eluded him since he made his foray into the competition in Tokyo’s 2021 event. Even though he was the top-ranked skateboarder in the world, Huston finished in a disappointing 7th place.
Commenting on the Tokyo Olympics, he described the experience as different and “interesting” because the crowd was absent due to COVID restrictions.
“Us skaters, we love to feed off that energy from the crowd. So, it’s kind of weird to not have that there. And I feel like that’s the thing that we’re all looking forward to most about this time in Paris,” he said.
How Many Bones Has Nyjah Huston Broken?
It’s not unusual for professional skateboarders to suffer broken bones at some point in their careers. But for Nyjah Huston, this hasn’t been the case. The 29-year-old California-born skater is proud of the fact that he hasn’t broken a bone since his skating journey began.
However, he has had many serious injuries in his two-decade professional career, some of which happened at crucial points in his sports journey. For example, just a few days before the Tokyo 2021 Olympics, he tore a ligament in his wrist while skating.
Due to the injury, he couldn’t practice well enough going into the event. He also suffered a couple of consecutive falls during the event.
ALSO READ: US Makes History, Becomes the First Country to Win 3000 Olympic Medals
How Old Was Nyjah When He Went Pro?
Nyjah Huston began his journey to a successful skateboarding career at age 5. He took to the sport due to pressure from his father, who used to be a skateboarder himself. However, he was 11 years old when he turned professional and entered his first X games.
Previously, he had bagged his first official sponsorship deal at the age of 7. Currently, Nyjah Huston is one win away from becoming the all-time X Games gold medal leader. But Huston isn’t putting too much pressure on himself to break records. He just enjoys sports.
“I like competing, you know? Even If I don’t go out there and land the hardest run and don’t win every time, I’m still having fun competing, and I still know it’s making me into a better skateboarder,” said the master of skateboards.
How Many SLS Has Nyjah Won?
Winning the Street League Skateboarding (SLS) championship is like a dream come true for every professional skateboarder. So, imagine how it feels for Nyjah Huston to have dominated the competition for the past decade.
Currently, Nyjah Huston has won the championship a whopping six times. He won gold medals at the SLS Super Crown World Championship competition first in 2010, then in 2012, and 2014. Afterward, he won it for three consecutive years from 2017 to 2019. Yet, he looks like he still has some more SLS winnings in him.
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