Nyjah Huston is recovering after a frightening skateboarding accident in Arizona that left the Olympic medalist hospitalized with serious head injuries.
The 31-year-old skateboarder revealed on January 5 that he suffered a fractured skull and a fractured eye socket while skating in Tempe, per AZ Central.
Huston shared the update in an Instagram post that included photos of him lying in a hospital bed, being assisted by Tempe firefighters and paramedics, and arriving at an HonorHealth medical facility. In the images, one of his eyes appears heavily bruised.
Alongside the photos, Huston reflected on the risk that comes with pushing skateboarding to its limits. “A harsh reminder how death-defying skating massive rails can be,” he wrote. “Fractured skull, fractured eye socket. Taking it one day at a time. I hope yall had a better new years then me. We live to fight another day.”
The post drew immediate support from across the skateboarding world, with fellow pros like Tony Hawk and Ryan Sheckler offering words of encouragement in the comments.
The injury comes at a pivotal moment in Huston’s career. Widely regarded as one of the most accomplished street skateboarders of all time, he is a seven-time world champion and a 15-time X Games gold medalist, with major endorsement deals from brands like Nike and Monster Energy.
In 2024, he added an Olympic bronze medal to his résumé during the men’s street skateboarding final at the Paris Games, marking his second Olympic appearance after Tokyo in 2020.
Despite the severity of the accident, Huston has made it clear that his long-term goals haven’t changed. He has already set his sights on competing at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, where skateboarding will return to Southern California, a place that has shaped much of his life and career.
Speaking previously to Reuters about the upcoming Games, Huston said the location gives him extra motivation. “It helps having the extra motivation that it’s in Southern California, where I’ve lived for so long and where skateboarding really thrives,” he said. “It’s SoCal living.”
Born in Northern California, Huston first stepped on a skateboard at age three and won his first competition by 10. Over the years, he’s emphasized that, medals aside, skateboarding is about more than competition.
“In my eyes, skateboarding is more of a lifestyle than it is a sport,” he said, calling the Olympics “just a plus on top of that.”
