- Olympic bronze medallist Nick Itkin showed fans the shocking state of his medal
- The Team USA fencer earned his glory two weeks ago in the men’s individual foil
- He is the latest in a string of athletes to show the deterioration of their medal
Team USA fencer Nick Itkin has revealed the grisly state of his Olympic bronze medal just two weeks after earning it.
The 24-year-old backed up his bronze from Tokyo with another podium performance in Paris, beating Japan’s Kazuki Iimura 15-12 in the men’s individual foil category.
However, he has become the latest athlete to sound the alarm over his medal’s deterioration after fellow American stars Nyjah Huston and Ilona Maher.
Posting on TikTok, Itkin showed that his medal was littered with scratches and dark splotches on both sides.
‘Not sure what happened here. Looked like it’s been through a lot,’ he wrote.
Team USA fencer Nick Itkin showed off the sorry state of his bronze medal after a fortnight
![The medal had scratches and dark splotches on both sides, as Itkin showed fans on TikTok](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/08/14/08/88509963-0-image-a-17_1723620153077.jpg)
The medal had scratches and dark splotches on both sides, as Itkin showed fans on TikTok
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Many users in the comments section were quick to point out the likely cause, that being oxidization – the corrosion of metal when exposed to the air, which causes metal oxide to form.
Skateboarder Huston, who won a bronze early in the Games, was the first to raise concerns over the durability of the Olympic medals.
Alright, so these Olympic medals look great when they’re brand new,’ he says.
‘But after letting it sit on my skin with some sweat for a little bit and letting my friends wear it over the weekend, they’re apparently not as high quality as you’d think.
‘It’s looking rough. I don’t know, Olympic medals, we gotta step up the quality a little bit.’
Huston gave fans a detailed look at his medal, showing the bronze colour chipped away in multiple areas.
‘Medal looking like it went to war and back,’ Huston added.
Meanwhile, Maher, who was part of the USA’s bronze-winning women’s rugby sevens outfit, noted her medal’s wear and tear on Late Night With Seth Meyers.
![Itkin, aged 24, has won bronze medals in back-to-back Olympic Games in Tokyo and Paris](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/08/14/08/88510509-13741879-image-a-23_1723621460634.jpg)
Itkin, aged 24, has won bronze medals in back-to-back Olympic Games in Tokyo and Paris
![Nyjah Huston shared the shocking condition of his bronze medal days after the Olympics](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/08/14/08/88325671-13741879-Nyjah_Huston_shared_the_shocking_condition_of_his_bronze_medal_d-a-18_1723620687325.jpg)
Nyjah Huston shared the shocking condition of his bronze medal days after the Olympics
![Back of the medal](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/08/14/08/88325673-13741879-Back_of_the_medal-a-20_1723620697044.jpg)
![Front of the medal](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/08/14/08/88327301-13741879-Front_of_the_medal-a-19_1723620697029.jpg)
Huston’s bronze medal from Paris started chipping after his celebrations in the States
![USA rugby sensation Ilona Maher revealed her Olympic bronze medal is starting to wear](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/08/14/08/88501297-13741879-USA_rugby_sensation_Ilona_Maher_revealed_her_Olympic_bronze_meda-a-21_1723620948796.jpg)
USA rugby sensation Ilona Maher revealed her Olympic bronze medal is starting to wear
![She pulled the medal out of a red, white and blue case, knitted for her by Tom Daley](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/08/14/08/88501299-13741879-She_pulled_the_medal_out_of_a_red_white_and_blue_case_knitted_fo-a-22_1723620961344.jpg)
She pulled the medal out of a red, white and blue case, knitted for her by Tom Daley
‘It is heavy and it does kind of weigh on the neck,’ she told Meyers.
‘It’s a fun burden to bear,’ she said, adding that it was ‘wearing a little bit.’
The Paris Mint had around 5,000 medals made in total, with 2,600 for the Olympics and 2,400 for the Paralympics.
Designed by luxury brand Chaumet, all medals come with a dark blue box in which they should be kept for their preservation.
Each medal contains a shard of the Eiffel Tower, taken from reserves extracted during the landmark’s renovation.
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