American skateboarder Nyjah Huston’s dissatisfaction with the quality of the Olympic medal
13 august 2024 в 02:50
American skateboarder Nyjah Huston recently took to social media, not to boast about the high quality of his Olympic achievement, but to highlight the poor condition of his medal less than two weeks after receiving it.
The 29-year-old athlete showed the wear and tear on his bronze medal on Instagram.
«Well, these Olympic medals look great when they’re brand new, but after I let it sit on my skin with a little sweat and let my friends wear it on the weekends, turns out they’re not as high quality as you think», - he said.
«I mean, look at this. It looks beat up. It’s even starting to peel a little on the front».
Huston later added in a subsequent post that the «medal looks like it’s been to war and back».
He wasn’t the only bronze medalist to comment on the condition of his trophy. Yasmin Harper, who won Great Britain’s first medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics, earning bronze in the women’s synchronized trampoline with partner Scarlett Mew Jensen, also noted some issues.
«There are some slight oxidization spots», - Harper said, according to the BBC. «I think it’s water or something getting under the medal and making it a bit spotty, but I’m not sure».
However, Harper added that she’s not too concerned about the situation «because it’s still a medal», - unlike Huston’s remark that the Olympics should take note: «Olympic medals, you might want to up the quality a bit».
Olympic medals are made from various materials depending on the type of medal. During the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, gold medals were mostly made of pure silver, with 6 grams of gold plating on top. Silver medals were made of pure silver, and bronze medals consisted of 95% copper and 5% zinc.
Bronze reacts with oxygen in the air if not protected, forming a dull patina, which may explain Huston’s medal damage. The rate of bronze deterioration depends on the proportion of metals in the alloy, with cheaper metals often accelerating the process. According to Oxford Economics, bronze medals cost around $ 4.60 USD.
The Paris 2024 medals were designed by the French jewelry house Chomet, and the Paris 2024 Athletes' Commission decided to make the medals from a piece of iron taken from the Eiffel Tower during its restoration in the 20th century.
The organizers of the Paris 2024 Olympics stated that they are aware of Huston’s comments, and a Games representative added: «Paris 2024 is working closely with Monnaie de Paris, the institution responsible for the production and quality control of the medals, and together with the concerned athlete’s National Olympic Committee, to assess the medal and understand the circumstances and cause of the damage».
«Medals are the most coveted items of the Games and the most precious to athletes», - they continued. «Damaged medals will be systematically replaced by Monnaie de Paris and engraved identically to the originals»
The 29-year-old athlete showed the wear and tear on his bronze medal on Instagram.
«Well, these Olympic medals look great when they’re brand new, but after I let it sit on my skin with a little sweat and let my friends wear it on the weekends, turns out they’re not as high quality as you think», - he said.
«I mean, look at this. It looks beat up. It’s even starting to peel a little on the front».
Huston later added in a subsequent post that the «medal looks like it’s been to war and back».
He wasn’t the only bronze medalist to comment on the condition of his trophy. Yasmin Harper, who won Great Britain’s first medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics, earning bronze in the women’s synchronized trampoline with partner Scarlett Mew Jensen, also noted some issues.
«There are some slight oxidization spots», - Harper said, according to the BBC. «I think it’s water or something getting under the medal and making it a bit spotty, but I’m not sure».
However, Harper added that she’s not too concerned about the situation «because it’s still a medal», - unlike Huston’s remark that the Olympics should take note: «Olympic medals, you might want to up the quality a bit».
Olympic medals are made from various materials depending on the type of medal. During the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, gold medals were mostly made of pure silver, with 6 grams of gold plating on top. Silver medals were made of pure silver, and bronze medals consisted of 95% copper and 5% zinc.
Bronze reacts with oxygen in the air if not protected, forming a dull patina, which may explain Huston’s medal damage. The rate of bronze deterioration depends on the proportion of metals in the alloy, with cheaper metals often accelerating the process. According to Oxford Economics, bronze medals cost around $ 4.60 USD.
The Paris 2024 medals were designed by the French jewelry house Chomet, and the Paris 2024 Athletes' Commission decided to make the medals from a piece of iron taken from the Eiffel Tower during its restoration in the 20th century.
The organizers of the Paris 2024 Olympics stated that they are aware of Huston’s comments, and a Games representative added: «Paris 2024 is working closely with Monnaie de Paris, the institution responsible for the production and quality control of the medals, and together with the concerned athlete’s National Olympic Committee, to assess the medal and understand the circumstances and cause of the damage».
«Medals are the most coveted items of the Games and the most precious to athletes», - they continued. «Damaged medals will be systematically replaced by Monnaie de Paris and engraved identically to the originals»
© Kolganov Andrey
