FAIRPARK—For most of Saturday’s Men’s Skateboard Street Final at the X Games in Salt Lake City, Yuto Horigome was chasing what seemed like an impossible pace.

Legendary street competitor Nyjah Huston flew out of the gates, chaining together smooth combos in his first run through the park and posting a judges’ score of 93.00 out of 100 to move into first place.

Huston looked poised to defend his victory at X Games Ventura 2024 and move one step closer to winning more X-Games golds than any other athlete in history. It seemed like a narrative written in the stars.

But Horigome wasn’t going down without a fight. With the silver already in hand from an impressive first run, the 26-year-old skated through the course like he had nothing to lose in his third and final run. He nailed his line through the course just like had in his first two attempts, adding a small trick here and there along the way.

But with just 10 seconds remaining, Horigome climbed the quarter pipe at the edge of the park and launched down toward the six-stair set in the center. He ollied toward the right rail, trey flipped and kissed the rail just before hitting the ground. Horigome landed with only his back foot on the board, but somehow managed to keep his balance and land the trick.

The packed crowd erupted from the bleachers in support. Horigome, who had lost his hat earlier in the run, calmly skated to the other side of the course to grab it and raised a hand in recognition.

The judges awarded him with a sparkling 95.33 score, launching him into first with only a few skaters left.

Horigmome’s expression remained as calm as it was when he stared down the drop at the start of his first run. Huston was the first one to greet him with a big hug when he returned to the start of the course.

With one final chance to respond, Huston started strong in his third run. He nailed his grind on the far side quarter ramp after the initial big drop, and set up a run that could definitely challenge Horigome heading into the last 10 seconds.

The crowd held its breath as the second-most decorated competitor in X Games history lined up his winner-take-all trick, but Huston couldn’t keep his board underneath him as he soared above the center rail, locking him into the silver medal.

“I really wanted to put down that last trick,” Huston said. “But no matter what, I was stoked to be out there and stoked to be on the podium again. Whenever it’s [Horigome’s] last run, you know he’s gonna land it. It’s 99% that he’s gonna land it.”

Horigome’s come-from-behind victory earned him his sixth X Games gold and eighth medal overall.

Huston’s silver medal was his 25th X Games medal, breaking the three-way tie for second-most all-time and putting him behind only Bob Burnquist (30).

The two titans put on quite the show for the crowd. A chant of “Let us in!” broke out from the long line of attendees stopped from entering by full bleachers. Organizers designated a standing room only area for them not long after.

Rounding out the podium, 15-year-old Julian Agliardi stunned the field with a breakout performance to claim bronze. A late addition to the lineup after skating in Osaka just last week, Agliardi proved he’s more than just a rising star.

Agliardi posted a respectable 80.00 in his first run, winning over the crowd with a passionate display after landing all of his tricks.

But his third run showed precision and poise that surprised even Agliardi. He clasped his hands on his head in disbelief after landing his final trick to secure his first X Games medal.

“It was insane,” Agliardi said. “I knew I could do it, but I didn’t actually think I would accomplish it. When it came to that front blunt backside flip, I thought I was gonna fall, so I basically just told myself, ‘Don’t fall. It’s the last run. You got to clutch it.’” Saturday’s final also marked the return of legendary skateboarder Ryan Scheckler to competition for the first time in eight years.

Scheckler, whose skateboarding promise earned him his first sponsorship at just 7-years-old, was the first skater to compete, and he held nothing back. He rose high off the ramp and bombed into the initial 10-foot drop with no fear. His board slipped out on that initial drop, and the fan favorite looked nervous on his first two runs.

But on the third run, Sheckler nailed the big drop in, and skated his line cleanly all the way through. The crowd roared its approval, and he smiled wide. While he finished in 10th out of 12 in his return to the X Games, being back in the field for the X Games' 30th anniversary meant “so much” to Scheckler, he said, who first competed in 2003.

“It was mental,” Sheckler said. “It’s weird because I’d say I landed [the big drop] more than I failed in practice, but all of a sudden it’s gametime and the ramp felt super soft. It was user error for sure, but there was no way I wasn’t landing that third one.”

Huston grabbed another silver medal after another solid performance in Skateboard Street Best Trick Sunday. He expressed appreciation for the energy the crowd brought in Salt Lake City, and said he’d be happy to compete in Salt Lake City the future.