Nyjah Huston dazzled the crowd in Paris as he captured a bronze Olympic medal for Team USA in street skateboarding.
His teammate, Jagger Eaton, nabbed the silver medal. After a fierce battle in Monday’s final, Eaton and Huston finished behind Japan’s defending champion Yuto Horigome.
For Eaton, Monday’s medal was the second of his career. The 23-year-old earned bronze in Tokyo in 2021. Meanwhile, Huston, who is 29, took the first medal of his career.
“I feel like at that level, between first, second and third, you could have picked anybody to win,” Eaton told reporters on Monday, per People. “It just went Yuto’s way and that’s 100% fine. When you’re in a sport that’s not a race or not track or field, it’s really hard to guarantee a win. It’s really just about going out there, having a great day and leaving it all out there, and that’s what I feel like I did.”
For most of the day, Huston led the competition, but Eaton came back strong. Horigome then surpassed both athletes when he earned a 97.08 on his final run. The Japanese star beat Eaton’s score by .10. Huston and Eaton praised each other after their big day.
“Nyjah is really like my big brother,” Eaton said. “I would really say that I dedicate a lot of my tricks, a lot of my competitive drive, to him.”
Huston added, “We all love feeding off each other’s energy, and we’re obviously out there trying to do our best. But at the end of the day, skateboarding is all about having fun, because it’s the best thing on earth, funnest thing on earth, and really just trying to push that progression.”
Eaton’s win comes after a disappointing start to the Olympics. Speaking to People, Eaton said he skipped the opening ceremony to prepare for the competition, which was originally scheduled for the next day but then postponed to the following Monday due to rain.
“I mean, I’m not going to lie, I almost shed a tear watching all of those athletes get dressed and go there,” he said. “The opening ceremony is something that’s so special and if you get to experience it more than once, it’s a privilege. I’m grateful that I got to experience it in Tokyo, but it was really a bummer missing it here.”
