Olympian Nyjah Huston Faces Recovery After Serious Skateboarding Injury
Olympian Nyjah Huston is on the path to recovery following a skateboarding trick that unfortunately went wrong.
“A stark reminder of how dangerous attempting extreme tricks on large rails can be,” Huston, 31, wrote via Instagram on Monday, January 5. “Suffered a fractured skull and a fractured eye socket. Focusing on healing one day at a time.”
In his social media post, the Olympic bronze medalist shared images of some of his injuries, including a bruised eye, after a fall in Tempe, Arizona.
“I hope everyone had a better new year than I did,” he added. “We’ll overcome this and be ready for the next challenge.”
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After sharing details of his numerous injuries, Huston received messages of support from many fans, including several athletes who understand what it’s like to end up in the hospital.
“That’s rough. Stay strong; you’ll be back,” Tony Hawk wrote in the comments section. Fellow Olympic skateboarder Gustavo Ribeiro added, “Get well soon.”
Ryan Sheckler also sent his encouragement by writing, “Man.. sending prayers for a full recovery, brother!”
While Huston has already represented the United States in skateboarding at the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 games, the athlete previously expressed his determination to compete at the upcoming 2028 games in Los Angeles.
“I’m excited about the L.A. Olympics. I’m definitely going to do my best to be there. I intend to be there,” Huston told Reuters in August 2025. “It’s a big boost to have the extra motivation that it’s in Southern California where I’ve lived for so long and where skateboarding really thrives. It’s SoCal living.”
It’s unclear if Huston’s fractured skull and eye socket will affect his plans to compete in 2028.
Born in Northern California, Huston has cultivated a large, devoted following in the skateboarding community after learning the sport through experimentation and practice. By the age of 7, he had secured his first sponsorship deal, and at 10 he won the Tampa Am in 2010.
He has since gone on to win multiple gold medals from the SLS World Championships and the X Games.
“We’re really just out there and it’s up to us on how we’re feeling that day and how much we want to push ourselves,” Huston explained to E! News in 2021 about skateboarding. “That’s the enjoyable part about it compared to most other sports out there. There are so many ways to have fun with it and so many different things and ways to skate and ways to be creative and always switch it up and challenge yourself.”
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Outside of the sport, Huston has been able to experience some extraordinary moments, including several appearances at the Met Gala and even a cameo in Green Day’s music video for “American Idiot.”
Ultimately, Huston can’t help but return to his passion for skateboarding. After all, every session is a new experience.
“We’re constantly looking along the side of the road for good stair sets or rails or ledges or whatever it is,” he previously told E! News. “We literally see things so differently, all the architecture and stuff. That’s the cool part about skateboarding. We’re out there skating things that aren’t meant to be skated.”
