American skateboarder Nyjah Huston left Paris with a coveted Olympic medal.
The closing ceremony for the Paris Olympics took place on Sunday, but recent photos taken by Houston show the surprising condition of the precious medals.
“Now, this Olympic medal looked great when it was new,” Huston began in a video he posted to Instagram, before showing some signs of wear on the medal. “However, after leaving it on my skin for a while in a sweaty state and having some friends wear it over the weekend, it appears the quality is not as good as I thought it would be.”
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Bronze medalist Nyjah Huston of the United States holds up his medal after the medal ceremony in the men’s street skateboarding event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Place de la Concorde in Paris on July 29, 2024. (ODD ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty Images)
Houston also showed another side of the medal, revealing that the bronze coating had lost its luster.
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“It’s in bad condition, the front is starting to peel off a little bit,” he said. “Olympic medals could use a little more quality.”
Huston won a medal just a few days ago in Paris after placing third in the men’s street competition, and fellow medalists have spoken out about the overall quality of the medals awarded to athletes who place third at this year’s Summer Olympics.
Nyjah Huston of the United States celebrates after winning the men’s skateboard street final at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Yasmin Harper, who competed for Great Britain at the Paris Olympics, also suggested there was noticeable discoloration on her bronze medal after she won the women’s three-metre synchronized diving event on July 27.
“There were some parts that were hurt a little bit,” Harper said. BBC“I think water or something got under the medal and that’s why it’s a little discoloured, but I’m not sure.”
In response to the criticism, the Paris Mint has promised to “systematically replace” damaged Olympic medals, while Olympics organizers have said they will investigate any medals found to be damaged and, if the investigation determines this is necessary, re-stamp them.
Team USA bronze medalist Nyjah Huston poses on the podium during the men’s street finals on day three of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Place de la Concorde on July 29, 2024 in Paris, France. (Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
The organising committee also said in a statement to AFP that it had “drawn attention to testimonies on social networks from athletes whose medals had been damaged a few days after being awarded.”
The International Olympic Committee also told a French news agency that it was “working closely with the Paris Mint, responsible for the production and quality control of the medals, and the athlete’s National Olympic Committee, to examine the medal in question to determine the circumstances and cause of the damage.”
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A Paris 2024 spokesperson further clarified: “The medals are the most coveted part of the Games and the athletes’ most precious possessions. Damaged medals will be systematically replaced by the Paris Mint and will bear an identical stamp.”
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