Skateboarder Nyjah Huston is making waves after revealing that his Olympic bronze medal from the 2024 Paris Games didn’t stay shiny for long. Huston showed off how his medal, which looked great at first, quickly became corroded and chipped after just a few days. His Instagram post led to a backlash about the poor quality of Olympic medals, sparking an official response from the games’ organizers who promised to replace damaged medals. The controversy deepened when it was revealed that today’s Olympic medals are far less valuable than they appear, with bronze medals worth a mere $4.60.
American skateboarder Nyjah Huston recently took to social media to express his disappointment with the quality of his Olympic bronze medal. Huston won the bronze in the men’s street skateboarding final at the 2024 Paris Olympics on July 29. However, he was surprised to find that the medal didn’t hold up as well as he had hoped.
In a video he shared on Instagram Stories, Huston showed how the medal started to deteriorate quickly. “These Olympic medals look great when they’re brand new,” he said. “But after a bit of sweat and letting my friends wear it for a weekend, it’s not as high quality as I thought.”
The photos Huston posted show a shiny, new medal next to one that has become dull and corroded just days later. The bronze surface is visibly peeling and chipping away.
Huston was frustrated, saying, “Look at that thing! It’s looking rough! Even the front is starting to chip off a little. Olympic medals need to step up their quality.”
In response to the backlash, a spokesperson for the 2024 Olympic Games told The Daily Mail that they will replace any damaged medals. They are working with Monnaie de Paris, the organization that made the medals, to investigate and address the issue. The statement assured that all damaged medals would be replaced and engraved to match the originals.
Journalist Edward White also commented on the issue, noting that the budget for Olympic medals seems to be lacking. On August 6, White criticized the Olympics for using cheaper materials, pointing out that modern gold medals are mostly silver with only a thin layer of gold. He highlighted that pure gold medals haven’t been awarded since 1912.
According to Oxford Economics, the actual value of a gold medal from the 2024 Olympics is around $1,027, while a silver medal is valued at about $535. The bronze medal is worth just $4.60. Forbes Australia reported that producing each gold medal costs around $950, and if pure gold were used today, the medals would be worth over $40,000.
Huston’s disappointment makes more sense when you consider these numbers, revealing just how little material value is in the medals compared to their symbolic worth.
