PARIS – The men’s street skateboarding final was a dramatic display of one-upmanship, leaving American competitors in second and third place as Japan’s Yuto Horigome remarkably defended his gold medal with an impressive trick on his final run.
Jagger Eaton of Mesa, Arizona, who previously won bronze in Tokyo, seemed poised for gold after executing a “nollie 180 switch backside nose blunt slide” as his penultimate trick. This move earned him a 95.25, the highest individual score of the event at that time, propelling him past fellow American Nyjah Huston, who had been leading.
Horigome, having missed three consecutive tricks before his last chance, needed a significant score to even make it to the podium. In a stunning turn, he delivered near perfection, earning a 97.08, one of the all-time highest scores in skateboarding competition history, securing first place.
Though Eaton and Huston both had one last shot to try to catch him, they both failed to land a clean trick and had to settle for silver and bronze.
Huston, one of the most decorated skateboarders in history with 12 X Games gold medals and six world championship golds, was the favorite in Tokyo but had a bad day and finished seventh. It looked like he was on track for the ultimate redemption after a series of solid tricks but saw gold ripped away at the last moment.