PARIS, France — Japan's Yuto Horigome wins second Olympic gold medal in men's street skateboarding with Encinitas resident Jagger Eaton taking home the silver medal and Nyjah Huston earning Bronze.
Yuto Horigome was not even thinking about the podium this time. The first men's street skateboarding champion when the sport debuted in the Olympics in 2021, he was so far back going into his final try that it looked as if he would fall short.
Instead, the 25-year-old from Japan landed the best trick of the competition to pass Americans Jagger Eaton and Nyjah Huston for a repeat title.
Horigome scored a 97.08 on Monday to vault into first and secure back-to-back gold medals. He beat Eaton by just 0.1 points in a thrilling finish in front of a charged-up crowd that was much different than the empty stands in Tokyo three years ago.
"It means everything," Horigome said. "It feels like a dream, a living dream. It's crazy. Tokyo, no one was there, no crowds, so I'm very happy this time (with) all the fans here. It's a special moment."
Eaton and Huston each sat in first place during the final. Eaton was in gold medal position until Horigome finished a trick known as a nollie 270 to nosebluntside — similar to the one the Arizona native did minutes earlier to get into that spot.
"The roller coaster I was I thought I won, and then I got off the ride," Eaton said. "Yuto, it's all respect. I feel like at that level, between first, second and third, you could've picked anybody to win."
Huston said of Horigome: "I don't think Yuto feels fear or pressure. He definitely doesn't feel pressure."
As for how the 29-year-old longtime X Games star was feeling, it was mixed emotions after a disappointing seventh-place finish in Tokyo. With Snoop Dogg — who has quickly become one of the celebrity faces of this Games — in attendance, Huston nailed his second run with the Snoop and Dr. Dre's "Still D.R.E." playing on speakers around La Concorde Urban Park.
But then came the end, when he and Eaton had one final chance to springboard Horigome and claim gold. Each wiped out in the final two jumps of the day.
This competition was scheduled for Saturday, but the same rain that soaked the opening ceremony down the Seine River — then much more overnight and into the morning — caused it to be postponed. World Skate cited adverse weather conditions for the move, and it was one of a handful of outdoor events affected over the weekend before the skies cleared.
Sunny, warm weather greeted the skateboarders Monday, with temperatures hovering around 86 degrees Fahrenheit (30 Celsius) late in the preliminary round and throughout the final. The stands remained packed despite the heat and France's Vincent Milou and Aurélien Giraud not making it through the prelims.
"I was really upset to not see any of the French guys in the final, which is kind of a bummer," Eaton said.
Representing San Diego, Team USA
For the Paris Summer Games, six men and six women represent the United States in both Park and Street skating. Those teams were recently announced in Vista at the CA Training Facility Skatepark and it has some massive San Diego representation.
Half of the twelve skaters heading to France in late July have ties to San Diego County. The world's number one rider in men's park and Point Loma High School graduate Tate Carew will be making his Olympics debut. "I'm very honored and this is obviously a lot of the best skaters in the world coming from San Diego, so to go and represent all of our hometowns is awesome," Carew said.
Ahead of the games, CBS 8 spoke to Eaton about returning to the Olympics after earning Bronze in Tokyo, and other members of Team USA.
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