The 2024 Paris Olympics are already off to an exciting start, with one of the most exciting events so far being Men’s Street Skateboarding. The packed-out group featured arguably the greatest skater of all time struggling to get his rhythm back, a young American looking to build on his incredible performance in Tokyo, and the eventual Japanese champion. It was a great show from start to finish.
Let’s start with the men’s final. Among the finalists were Americans Nyjah Huston and Jagger Eaton. Huston is widely considered the greatest skater of all time, with 13 X-Games wins and six World Championship gold medals. However, he just missed out on a medal at the first Skateboarding Olympics in Tokyo, finishing in seventh place. Huston’s comeback was incredibly impressive, and as the final began, he was in top form, leading the pack with three tricks.
But right behind him was Jagger Eaton of Mesa, Arizona. Eaton finished with a bronze medal in Tokyo but improved in Paris, trading tricks with Houston and eventually taking the lead with this incredible move:
It looked like the Americans would take first and second place on the podium, but then Yuto Horimai of Japan pulled off one of the most incredible tricks I’ve ever seen. For his final round trick, Horimai needed at least 96 points to take first place, and no one else had scored more than 96 points all day.
And Horiguchi said:
No, seriously. His ability to spin in the air and keep only the edge of his board on the rail is incredible. The judges were blown away, and he scored 97.08 points and won the gold medal.
“This was an incredible final. The athletes were doing things I’d never seen before. It’s good for a sport that’s in its second Olympic Games to have moments like this and engage people through competition.”
As the sport grows, we hope to see more people watching.
