The Pro Who’s Taking Skateboarding To A Whole New Level

The 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan will soon be upon us and Braille is beyond excited to see this global push for skateboarding. There are so many amazing skateboarders competing for their spot in the Olympics, but only 80 spots available. It’s hard to tell with certainty who will be skating at the 2020 Olympics. However, we know that Nyjah Huston will be skating on the biggest stage skateboarding has ever seen.

As the final qualifying season draws to a close, it’s safe to assume that the current top-ranked skaters will likely be competing. As long as they’ll be ready to skate this Summer, the top ranked skaters will most likely be going to the Olympics.

At the top of the Olympic World Skateboarding Ranking for Men’s Street is Nyjah Huston. This blog will shine a light on Huston and how far he has come in his incredibly successful skateboarding career.

Currently, Nyjah is the highest-paid skateboarder in the world. He has the skills to back it up, as he’s widely known to be one of the greatest to ever do it. We’ll go over some of his highlights and accomplishments so be sure to continue reading and get to know Nyjah Huston, one of USA Skateboarding’s soon-to-be Skate Olympians!

Who is Nyjah Huston?

Nyjah Huston was born on November 30, 1994, in Davis, California. He started skateboarding, goofy-footed, at the age of five under the tutelage of his father. From there, it didn’t take him long to pick up his first sponsor, Element Skateboards, at only seven years old.

At eleven years old, Nyjah had competed in his first X-Games, and two years later, he turned pro. From 2008-2010, Nyjah lived in Puerto Rico with his father, who was also his manager. He then returned to California to really begin his full skateboarding career.

One major competition that made a big impact for Nyjah was Street League Skateboarding. SLS had its first event in 2010 and Nyjah was right there for it. He destroyed the competition and took home first place. He also won the Super Crown World Championship that same year. From there, he’s continue to compete and has made a name for himself in the competition circuit.

Since then, Nyjah has remained at the top of the heap of competitive skateboarders and has amassed several World Championship victories. Even as he gained some mainstream popularity, Nyjah still managed to stay true to his skateboarding roots.

The Competiiton Circuit

At the 2012 Transworld Skateboarding Awards, he was given the titles of “Best Street”, “Reader’s Choice” and “Best Video Part” (for Rise & Shine) all in the same year. In the 15-year history of the awards, a skater winning in three categories had only been accomplished twice. In 2013 (and 2014) Huston was awarded “Best Male Action Sports Athlete” at the ESPY Awards. As of May 19, 2013, Huston had won more prize money than any other skateboarder in history. 

He’s mostly known for competitive street skating, one point that many skaters tend to disagree with. As skateboarding progresses and expands, many feel competitions take away from the true and free spirit of skateboarding. They feel it’s too corporate or that it’s just there for companies to make more money, something that Nyjah is caught in the middle of.

Regardless, Nyjah is an extremely talented skater. He’s made a huge name for himself with all of his winnings. So, it’s kind of hard to dislike him when he really is that good. He deserves all of his praise.

Nyjah Huston’s Journey to The Olympics

Currently, Nyjah Huston is a USA Skateboarding team member and is ranked 1st in the Olympic World Skateboarding Ranking for Men’s Street, with 145,900 points. Most recently, he placed 7th at the World Skate STU Open in Brazil. It’s exciting to see what he’s going to pull off and what he’s going to do on his journey to the Olympics.

Some of his current sponsors include Nike SB, Monster Energy, Element, Diamond Supply Co, and Ricta. ‘Til Death is Nyjah’s most recent video part, filmed by Ty Evans and released in 2018 to celebrate the release of Nyjah’s first pro model shoe with Nike SB. The video is widely available online, so be sure to check it out! Below we’ll walk you through one of the craziest parts of ‘Til Death.

This part is full of amazing tricks and really showcases how amazing of a skateboarder he is. Thankfully, we’ll be seeing more of him as time goes on.

Nyjah in 2019

2019 has been an incredible year of Nyjah as well, and he continues to rack up the wins in contests around the world. One particularly impressive victory took place at the 2019 X Games in Shanghai, China. Nyjah was in 4th place going into his final run. He needed a flawless run at that point, to overtake Dashawn Jordan for first place. A flawless run is exactly what he produced, as his 3rd and final run earned him a score of 94.0 and earned him the win in the Street Finals. Let’s review his run and see exactly what he did in this amazing comeback. 

Madness, right?! That run earned him a score of 94, and walk off victory. Before this, he placed 4th at the 2019 X Games Street Finals in Shanghai, China.

As of November 22, 2019 Huston is currently in 1st Place with 145900 points. He’s definitely going to the Olympics for the United States Team. Right behind him, however is Japan’s Yuto Horigome with 133200. Still quite a gap, but he’s been catching up.

In Conclusion

We’re not sure about you guys, but we can’t wait to see what Nyjah brings to the table at the upcoming Olympics. The next Olympic Qualifying Event is in March 2020. So, Nyjah has some time over the next couple of months to perfect every line he’s been imagining in his head.

Though most of us will simply be watching the Olympics, Braille Skateboarding knows that some of you dream of competing at the Olympics one day. We can help you achieve that goal! Check out Skateboarding Made Simple in our Online Shop. It’s the most detailed lesson plan for skateboarding in existence, and you will surely improve your skills after watching and studying our SMS tutorials. With 9 different volumes, you’ll go from learning how to ride on a board, to skating skateparks and landing more advanced flatground tricks…FIRST TRY! Now get out there and skate!

In order to keep up to date on the Olypmics, check out the rest of our blog posts in our Olympics series. 

What do you think of Nyjah Huston? What tricks do you think he’s practicing on his road to the Olympics? Who else should we cover as they’re on their way to the Olympics? Leave it in the comments below!

Featured Image Credit: Nyjah’s Website.