Strip away the Olympic stage, the street skateboarding medals and the never-ending media circus and you’ll find that Nyjah Huston and Jagger Eaton are just two good friends.
Veterans of the contest skate scene, their careers until now have been long and intertwining.
Huston, 29, won his first major street title at age 10, launching one of the most impressive skateboarding trajectories in history. Eaton, 23, made his maiden X Games appearance at 11 before going on to tread new ground in both park and street disciplines.
Competition has powered their respective careers, and on Monday, 30 July, under the beating heat of the Parisian sunshine, both peppered their skate résumés with even more success after Eaton claimed Olympic silver and Huston bronze in the men’s street event.
Nyjah Huston (left) and Jagger Eaton show off their medals after the men's street skateboarding final
(2024 Getty Images)
Nyjah Huston: ‘Jagger’s the homie’
At different stages of the final, the U.S. skaters each had their hand on gold. But in the end that went to the prodigious Yuto Horigome, who, in the ultimate game of one-upmanship, put down a 97.08 score that neither Eaton nor Huston could best as they bailed in their final responses.
Despite coming up short of the ultimate prize, the two street titans - who have battled each other multiple times - found themselves drawing on each other as they navigated the afternoon’s twists and turns.
When Eaton fell on his first run and saw Huston then stomp a 93.37 just before his second attempt, it called the Arizonan to arms, empowering him to land a 91.92.
Later, when Eaton dropped a switch backside noseblunt in the fourth round of tricks, Huston found himself applauding the audacity of the trick - and again in the hours after.
“We were there in Tokyo together. We’re here again. Jagger got the medal last time and this time. I got his back,” Huston said, addressing Eaton as the pair spoke exclusively to Olympics.com.
“Jagger’s the homie and honestly, I shot you that text last night. I have a new-found respect for this guy after landing that last trick you did - that was clutch.”
“Yesterday was one of the first times of finals where I didn’t feel like I was really going against you,” Eaton replied, acknowledging Huston’s praise.
“It was really like we were hyping each other up. It was the first time, where after he made his run, I was like, ‘OK, that fueled me’. Most of the time when he makes a run, I’m like, ‘Oh (expletive)!’ But now, when he made that run yesterday, I was like, ‘OK, now it’s time to fire back’. That was a moment I’ll never forget.
“A lot of these tricks I do because I watched him do them. So our energies bounce back off each other, yesterday was very special.”
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Nyjah Huston on the big future for skateboarding
With what has been dubbed the “greatest ever” men’s street skateboarding final now wrapped, Huston and Eaton are already beginning to imagine what their epic display might now do for the future of skateboarding.
Confirmed to feature in the program of the next Games - LA 2028 - both are envisioning big things for their sport, not least the impact it can have on the younger generations.
“The future of skateboarding is big,” Huston said.
“It's only going to continue to grow. Skateboarding is the funnest thing ever. More and more people are starting to realise that and skateboarding is a great thing nowadays too because it’s helping kids get outside more.”
Eaton agreed, saying: “There’s a big part of skateboarding that is not like any other sports where you’re pushing through fear on a daily basis. That’s so good for kids. Kids getting out of their comfort zone, pushing through fear and dealing with those emotions, that those emotions at a young age help you when you're older to deal with normal problems, like when tax season comes up and you need to get your tax done,” the U.S. skater continued, laughing. “Like that stuff doesn’t faze me anymore!”
As for the here and now, the U.S. will be hoping for more glorious moments when the park skateboarding events take place on 6 and 7 August.
A total of six skaters - three women and three men - will represent the Stars and Stripes, including park world champion Gavin Bottger and world bronze medalist Minna Stess.
