Winning an Olympic medal, whether it’s gold, silver, or bronze, holds immense value for any athlete. It symbolizes their hard work and the culmination of their efforts. These medals are cherished mementos, representing unforgettable memories. The idea of these medals deteriorating can be deeply upsetting for the athletes. This sentiment rings true for Nyjah Huston, a 29-year-old American skateboarder who recently showcased his bronze medal from the ongoing Paris Olympics 2024.
Huston secured the bronze in the men’s street skateboarding final on July 29, but just a short time later, the medal is already showing signs of wear.
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Nyjah Huston recently took to his Instagram stories to share his thoughts on the quality of his Olympic bronze medal. In one of the clips, he remarked, “Alright, so these Olympic medals look great when they are brand new. 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.” As Huston turned the camera to display the wear on the medal, it was evident that it had started to deteriorate, with a portion even beginning to chip.
In another post, Huston shared a close-up of the medal, captioning it, “Medal looking like it went to war and back.”
The images and videos quickly went viral, igniting an online debate over the quality of these prized medals. One user reposted a screenshot from the video, commenting, “Degraded quality of Olympic bronze medal after a week.” Numerous others joined the discussion in the comment section to express their opinions.
One commenter wrote, “This year’s Olympics in France seems cheap from the start.”
Conversely, some users contended that it’s normal for bronze medals to oxidize over time. This has highlighted another issue at the 2024 Summer Games, following earlier discussions about the poor living conditions at the Olympic Village.