World Street Skateboarding Rome 2022: Nyjah Huston on the line between winning and expectation
Superstar Huston's skateboarding net worth is immeasurable but as he readies for the first street Paris 2024 Olympic qualifier he knows competing isn't easy.
Skateboarding
There’s an internal conflict raging in Nyjah Huston.
The 27-year-old street skateboarding superstar is currently in Rome readying for the final stages of the World Street Skateboarding event which concludes on Sunday (3 July) live on Olympic Channel.
The event in the Italian capital is the first Olympic qualifier for Paris 2024 bringing with it certain expectations.
Speaking to Olympics.com in Rome, Huston explains he’s been working on trying not to let those get to him:
“I feel like the more pressure I put on myself sometimes, the harder it is to go out there and just skate natural and skate like I normally do.
“Anything I skate lately I’m just trying to have more fun with it and not put so much pressure on myself that I feel the pressure from other people too.”
WATCH: World Skate Street Rome 2022 on Olympics.com
The American’s shift comes off the back of a challenging Tokyo 2020 experience in 2021.
When skateboarding made its debut in Japan, Huston was the favourite for men's gold heading into the Olympic contest.
With six world titles, 12 X Games crowns, and a history of competing as young as six years old, there was an overwhelming feeling the competition was his to lose.
Yet, when the chips were down, Huston stumbled and ended the contest way off the podium in seventh place.
Nyjah Huston: competitive skateboarding comes naturally
Being a little more relaxed may feel like the natural course of action but for a competitor as fierce as Huston trying to do that is easier said than done.
“I try so hard to tell myself to not take it as seriously or not put so much pressure on myself. But then as soon as the contest is about to start, I just turn into that person inside.”
The person Huston alludes to is his younger self.
The middle child of four siblings growing up, Huston explains that the hunger of competition began then and stays burning within him even now. And so tempering that flame is particularly challenging:
“I tried a last trick in my [quarterfinal] run and I could have done an easier track and I was like, nah I want to try something harder.
"I love the progression. I love the challenge of skateboarding."
With a host of challengers in the fray still in Rome, which style of Nyjah Huston will turn out for the competition’s concluding phases will undoubtedly be a point of intrigue.
Olympic medallists Horigome Yuto and Kelvin Hoefler, as well as France’s Aurelien Giraud, all pose credible threats to the American’s chances of medalling at the Parco del Colle Oppio skatepark.
Then there are the upstarts like Argentina's Mauro Igelsias who, so far, haven't been shy about stealing the opportunity to put down their best.
How to watch Nyjah Huston at the World Street Skateboarding Championships 2022
Huston will be in action today (Saturday 2 July) in the men's semi-finals competition taking place from 19:30 to 22:05 CEST (17:30 to 20:05 GMT/UTC).
Should he finish in the top eight the American will advance to the final on Sunday (3 July) beginning at 21:00.
You can watch Huston, and all your favourite skateboarders, in action live from Rome on the Olympic Channel via Olympics.com where coverage from the semi-finals and finals will be streamed without geo-restrictions.
(All times listed are GMT+2)