A Laguna Beach man joined the U.S. Olympic Skateboarding Team in Tokyo to compete in the sport’s debut at the Summer Olympics.
Four-time world champion Nyjah Huston, 26, fell four times at the July 24 event and wasn’t able to add an Olympic medal to his trophy collection, The New York Times reports. He finished seventh. U.S. skateboarder Jagger Eaton took home the bronze medal.
“Getting the chance to skate and [represent] for my country out there was a true honor,” Huston said in a Facebook post. “I’ve had a lot of high moments in my career over the years but I’ve also had some very low ones and it’s something I’ve always mentally battled and tried to be better at.”
A photo posted to his social media accounts shows Huston smiling from the floor of the Olympic Games opening ceremony on July 23. The stadium seats behind him are empty due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Born in Davis, Calif., Huston became the youngest-ever X Games competitor at age 11. Since that initial contest, he’s won 19 X Games medals, including 13 gold. He’s been voted Best Male Action Sports Athlete ESPY Award three times, most recently in 2019.
Huston has lived in Laguna Beach since at least November 2014.
