Huston is a celebrated athlete with 12 X Games gold medals to his name. He finished third in the men’s street final on July 29. He was behind fellow American Jagger Eaton and Japan’s Yuto Horigome.
However, Huston’s joy over his Olympic achievement turned to disappointment when he noticed his medal’s rapid deterioration.
Team USA star Nyjah Huston revealed the state of his medal
On Instagram, Olympian, who goes by @nyjah, shared a video with his 5.3 million followers, showcasing the “rough” condition of his bronze medal.
The video has the caption:”‘medal looking like it went to war and back’.
In the clip, Olympian Huston expressed his disappointment, stating, “These Olympic medals look great when they’re brand-new, but after letting it sit on my skin with some sweat and letting my friends wear it over the weekend, they’re apparently not as high quality as you’d think.”
He pointed out visible chipping and wear, noting that even the front of the medal was starting to deteriorate.
The video quickly gained attention and sparked debate on social media.
Huston’s post sparked discussions online, with many expressing their disappointment in the quality of the medals.
One person said: It’s what it represents that’s important. It could be a piece of paper
A second wrote: France is looking and acting like a third world country recently. Britain not far behind.
While a third commented: Hit it with a bit of brasso and a micro fibre cloth, shell be right
Another added: So he didn’t pay attention in school. Copper oxidizes and forms a green patina. If he doesn’t like green, then try winning gold.
Someone else said: Is it just me or is the medal he is showing that has deteriorated not the medal from this Olympics as they look completely different.
Olympic organizers responded to the incident.
Bronze medals, produced for the Paris 2024 Olympics especially, are said to be cast with a mix of copper, zinc and tin. When these metals are exposed to air, they react with the air, and as a result form a dull patina on top, which is what the so-called degradation actually is.
The Paris Olympics though assured Olympians that damaged medals shall and will be replaced by them, in any case.
“Paris 2024 is aware of a social media report from an athlete whose medal is showing damage a few days after it was awarded,” said the spokesperson. “Paris 2024 is working closely with the Monnaie de Paris, the institution tasked with the production and quality control of the medals, and together with the National Olympic Committee of the athlete concerned, in order to appraise the medal to understand the circumstances and cause of the damage,” said a spokesperson of the Paris Olympics to Time magazine.
Sources: wikiany.net; news18.com
