As the sun beat down on Place de la Concorde with humidity reaching high levels, the men’s skateboard street competition at the 2024 Paris Olympics was just getting started.
The competition was hot in more ways than one. Argentinian Matias Dell Olio broke two skateboard decks after they melted while he attempted two different tricks during the preliminary round. Athletes had ice packs rubbed against them between runs while wax melted off skateboards and course features, making it difficult to land tricks. Even the ever-chill Snoop Dogg was sweating. All of this didn’t stop American skateboard street powerhouses Nyjah Huston and Jagger Eaton from bringing major heat to the competition.
In an event with extremely stacked Japanese talent including Olympic gold medalist Yuto Horigome from the Tokyo Games and Sora Shirai, Huston and Eaton brought confidence and passion in what Eaton considers to be the greatest final in skateboard street history.
After heading into the final as the top two qualifiers, Huston and Eaton were fired up and ready to take home hardware for the U.S. They continually built off of each other's energy. After falling on his first run and seeing Huston stomp a 93.37-point run, Eaton knew it was time to put his game face on. He had to land every trick in his second run to have a shot at the podium.
"Even after [Huston] made that first run and I missed it, I hyped him up and I was stoked for him…That fueled me," Eaton told NBCOlympics.com in an exclusive interview. "This is kind of how it always is. There’s something about the Olympic Games that makes the team aspect so important."
Eaton opened his run with a front blunt before hitting a switch backside lipslide and ending with a picturesque switch backside 180 nosegrind to earn a 91.92.
The Americans went 1-2 heading into the tricks section of the competition. While Huston and Eaton both landed difficult tricks, including a nollie heelflip noseblunt from Huston that scored 93.22 and Eaton's 95.25-point nollie 270 noseblunt, the podium order ultimately came down to Horigome’s final trick.
"I definitely did not doubt that he was going to land that much spin. If anyone is good in that moment and under that much pressure, it’s him," Huston said. "Yuto got us."
Horigome landed his signature nollie 270 bluntslide to earn 97.08 points, the highest score of the day. It bumped him into first place.
Huston and Eaton’s confidence didn’t waver.
"We followed the strategy," Eaton said. He thought his earlier nollie 270 noseblunt was going to score around a 97 because his first trick, a switch backside noseblunt earned a 92.80.
"Unfortunately, the judges didn’t feel that way because I did land it a little sketchy," Eaton said of his score. In the end, Eaton and Huston were just stoked to get on the podium.
"We gave each other some big hugs," Huston said. "You really gotta bring it in in those moments because it’s so special… The best part about all of it is that we’re all hyped for each other, we’re all homies, we’re all showing love, and that’s really what skateboarding’s all about."
Huston and Eaton already have their sights set on gold at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, too.
"Hell. Yeah. Hell yeah. And I’m going to say it for him too. He’s on that team," Eaton said of him and Huston looking to qualify for the next Olympics. "We’re doing LA. I’m going to do my absolute best."
Eaton, who narrowly missed qualifying for the park discipline after not making the final at the Olympic Qualifier Series event in Budapest, is laser-focused on competing in both disciplines at the next Games.
"I’m definitely going back to get my redemption in park," Eaton said, "I’ve missed two teams now, and I’m not going to let that happen in LA."
"It’s extra motivation to really just be good at skateboarding for the longest I possibly can." Huston added. Practicing new tricks and skating in multiple contests to qualify is time-consuming and hard on athletes’ bodies.
"It is brutal. It’s a lot of contests, but it really helps you stay feeling good on the board," Huston said. "That’s my main goal. To be skating for as long as possible."