Can Nyjah Huston maintain his perfect Olympic qualifying record?

A perfect record.

It is the object of an elite few, the envy of many, and for USA skateboarder Nyjah Huston, it will be the target when he enters the fray at the World Street Skateboarding Championship 2023 in Tokyo, Japan on Friday (15 December).

Since the road to Paris 2024 first began back in June 2022 in Rome, the 29-year-old Team USA rider has been impeccable at World Skate contests.

Two wins in Italy and a victory in Lausanne, Switzerland, means that for every event he has entered, the American has come out trumps and often by some margin.

For those who have followed Huston’s stellar career closely such a record isn’t that surprising.

Competing in his craft for the best part of 18 years, Huston has forged a reputation for being indomitable. 12 X Games gold medals, six SLS Super Crowns and multiple world titles have all boosted his credentials as one of the greatest ever in his discipline.

But even he would be the first to admit that this particular winning streak hasn’t been so easy.

For one, the Olympic arena has brought out something personal in the skater.

At Tokyo 2020, 2021, Huston, a medal favourite, found himself felled by a combination of the oppressive heat of that Japanese summer’s day, the scale of the course and the weight of expectation, leading to a seventh-place finish.

Apologising to his social following after the event, he resolved to come back stronger - and that he did straight away**.**

At the first qualifier of the season, the American laid down an early marker of intent when he snatched victory from top French prospect Aurelien Giraud. Drinking up the Roman applause, the win was the perfect response to any lingering shadows of disappointment.

But any hopes of building momentum from that win were cut short two months later when the skater tore his anterior cruciate ligament while out street skating.

The injury, renowned in all sports for its rehabilitation complexities, forced him to the sidelines for the best part of 10 months.

He could only watch on as Giraud avenged his second place in Rome by winning the world title in Sharjah in Huston’s absence.

X Games and Street League Skateboard (SLS) events then came and went, and still he watched. During that period, he told Olympics.com, he remained committed to his recovery but couldn’t shake the feeling he might never come back the same.

It was in Rome, a year later, that those doubts were truly squashed.

Back with a bang, Huston returned to the top of the podium, taking the win 13 points clear of Shirai Sora in second.

A couple of months later in Lausanne, with skateboarding legend Eric Koston in the audience, Huston stormed to first again flourishing with four consecutive 90+ scores.

In his post-final interview, he pointed to the field of nearly 200 skaters he had to overcome to win acknowledging the Olympic qualifying format, with its open invitation, means nothing can be taken as given.

Nyjah Huston at WST: World Street Skateboarding Championships 2023 Japan

It is then, almost serendipitous, that Huston will be targeting his fourth consecutive Paris 2024 Olympic qualifying win, and the world title, in Tokyo a handful of miles away where his Olympic dream was dashed.

The stakes, as he will be aware, are high.

While reigning champion Giraud won’t be available to defend his title, there are others in wings with motivations of their own to come in for the top prize not least Olympic champion Horigome Yuto, who faces his own fight for a place in the top three among Japanese skaters.

Then there was Huston's recent slip at the SLS Super Crown 2023, where for the first time in 48 editions, he failed to make the final.

Rather than impinge him, history points to such misses being fuel for Huston and when the skater does eventually enter the contest, you can be sure his focus will be on claiming that top spot once again.