Olympic Skateboarder Shows Off Tarnished Bronze Medal -- "Not Meant for the Send"
"They are apparently not as high quality as you would think."
Published Aug. 9 2024, 6:46 p.m. ET
Winning any medal at the Summer Olympics is a milestone for many athletes -- and understandably, there are plenty of them who want to show off their crowning achievement. But it seems like the medals aren't as durable as one would think they'd be.
As shared by Nyjah Huston, a member of the U.S. Olympic skateboarding team, the medals aren't suited for regular wear -- and the athlete's bronze medal looked incredibly worn not long after receiving it. He took to Instagram to share a photo of the tarnished medal, and the reactions online have been strong.
The Olympic bronze medal looks worn after a little bit of wear.
In an Instagram story, Nyjah shared an image of his bronze medal looking "like it went to war and back."
"Alright, so these Olympic medals look great when they are brand new," he said in a clip on his story. "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."
Though the athlete admitted to wearing the medal and letting some friends try it on after receiving it, he was ultimately disappointed with the quality.
"I guess the medals are meant to be in cases. Not meant for the send," he said.
Nyjah Huston will be receiving a replacement medal.
The state of his medal was understandably disappointing, but it seems that Nyjah will be receiving a new medal to replace the now-tarnished one. In a statement to People, a spokesperson for the 2024 Paris Olympics told the outlet that the skateboarder's bronze will be "systematically replaced."
"Paris 2024 is working closely with the Monnaie de Paris, the institution tasked with the production and quality control of the medals, and together with the National Olympic Committee of the athlete concerned, in order to appraise the medal to understand the circumstances and cause of the damage," the statement read.
"The medals are the most coveted objects of the Games and the most precious for the athletes. Damaged medals will be systematically replaced by the Monnaie de Paris and engraved in an identical way to the originals."
