Olympic medals are cherished symbols of athletic achievement, but for Team USA skateboarder Nyjah Huston, his 2024 Paris Olympics bronze medal has already started to lose its luster—quite literally. The 29-year-old skateboarder, who earned his medal in the men’s street skateboarding final on July 29, shared his disappointment on social media, revealing that the medal is already showing signs of significant wear.
On August 8, Huston took to Instagram Stories to showcase the unexpected deterioration of his bronze medal. “Alright, so these Olympic medals look great when they are brand new,” Huston commented as he displayed the medal to his followers. “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.”
Huston’s video highlighted visible chipping and rough spots on the medal’s surface. “I mean, look at that thing, it’s looking rough. Even the front is starting to chip off a little,” he said while rotating the medal for a closer look.
Nyjah Huston Lightheartedly Critiques the Durability of His Olympic Medal on Instagram
Adding a touch of humor, Huston expressed his disappointment with a lighthearted critique: “So I don’t know… Olympic medals, you gotta maybe step up the quality a little bit.” In a follow-up post, he shared a photo of the medal against a scenic backdrop, captioning it, “Medal looking like it went to war and back,” complete with a raised eyebrow and laughing emoji.
Huston continued to share his thoughts on Instagram, posting a shirtless photo of himself while wearing his signature baseball cap. Reflecting on the state of the medal, he joked, “I guess the medals are meant to be in cases. Not meant for the send.” One of his followers humorously commented, “Looks like ya won that thing in 1982 mate,” which Huston shared on his Stories, adding to the light-hearted nature of his posts.
Despite the humor, the issue has prompted serious concerns about the quality of the Olympic medals. A spokesperson for the Paris 2024 Olympics acknowledged Huston’s posts, stating, “We are aware of a social media report from an athlete whose medal is showing damage a few days after it was awarded.”
The Paris 2024 organizing committee is now collaborating with the Monnaie de Paris, the institution responsible for producing and ensuring the quality of the Olympic medals, and the National Olympic Committee to assess the situation. “Paris 2024 is working closely with the Monnaie de Paris and the National Olympic Committee of the athlete concerned, in order to appraise the medal to understand the circumstances and cause of the damage,” the spokesperson added.
To maintain the integrity of these prestigious awards, the Paris 2024 organizers have committed to replacing any damaged medals. “The medals are the most coveted objects of the Games and the most precious for the athletes. Damaged medals will be systematically replaced by the Monnaie de Paris and engraved in an identical way to the originals,” the committee assured.
Nyjah Huston, a seasoned competitor with more than two dozen medals from the World Skateboarding Championship and the X Games, understands the value of these awards. The Olympic bronze medals, like the one Huston received, are made of 95% copper and 5% zinc, featuring an 18-gram hexagonal piece of wrought iron from the Eiffel Tower.
As the Paris 2024 organizers continue to investigate the matter, they will determine whether Huston’s worn medal qualifies for a replacement, ensuring that his symbol of Olympic achievement remains in pristine condition.
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