Jagger Eaton on his one-of-a-kind chase for skateboarding double: 'I love doing something nobody else is doing' - Exclusive
In a one-on-one sit-down with Olympics.com, the USA athlete says he's prepared for the physical and emotional rigours that go along with his quest.
Skateboarding
Jagger Eaton says there are days he's so sore that he feels like he can't walk.
And you can't blame him.
At 23, the US star is setting out to do the unthinkable as skateboarding rolls toward a second Olympics at Paris 2024: Qualify in both park and street disciplines, which has yet to be done - by anyone.
"There's a big part of me that loves doing something that nobody else is doing," Eaton told Olympics.com recently in an exclusive sitdown. "And I think that's a big driving factor to why I'm doing this."
"I do think that doing park and street disciplines and making both teams is a really pivotal spot for skateboarding," Eaton continued. "That's not really a typical thing to do... [and] really a good eye opener for younger generations to see what's possible on a skateboard."
The reigning world champion in park, Eaton actually finds himself in a tighter race among the U.S. men in that discipline as action gets underway this weekend at the Olympic Qualifier Series 2024 Budapest. He sits second overall, but with Americans occupying all three of the top spots. In street, he and Nyjah Huston sit safely in Paris position.
It's a familiar situation for Eaton, who three years ago nearly made the U.S. squad in both disciplines, only to be felled at the last hurdle.
"I think now I know exactly what I need to do for street and park to make both teams," he said. "I've had a really good year this year: A lot of growth and great results. I know what the judges want to see for me.
"And I feel like I'm finally at a place mentally, physically where I can handle that workload."
Jagger Eaton: Eyeing two big rewards at OQS Budapest
It was an emotional and exhausting outing for Eaton last month at the first of two Olympic Qualifier Series stops in Shanghai, when the American broke down in tears after winning the street competition.
Hours later he'd return for a third-place finish in park, proving to himself - and everyone watching - that he could deliver in back-to-back events on back-to-back days.
"I definitely proved that it can be done, but the question is: Can it be repeated?" Eaton said in Shanghai. "I’m very optimistic. My skating feels unbelievable. I feel like if I did a bit of recovery right now I could go skate street for the rest of the day, or go play some golf."
But it's Eaton playing the long game that has benefitted him now: When he first began training for Tokyo 2020, he was determined to make both events, but only fell just shy. He said he believes experience is on his side this time around.
“I feel really solid. The physical and mental demand is two times what most athletes are going through because I [have been] the only one making it through both cuts in both disciplines,” he explained. “So I'm very blessed to be where I'm at. But yeah, the physical toll, mental toll is definitely, definitely there.”
Hence those tears in Shanghai, which exhibited a range of emotion. It’s taken meticulous preparation and planning from Eaton and his team even to be in this position – and continue to be as competitive as he is.
“[I’m going to Budapest] mentally and physically prepared for the task at hand,” he explained. “I compete basically eight contests for the weekend because I'll be competing two events for four days straight. It's a very different environment [and] I will be the only one going through that. But like I said, I'm prepared for it. I'll be ready for it.”
He added: “I feel great in both disciplines. And I'm ready to get through the OQS and make it to Paris.”
‘The Olympic Games have changed my life’
While Eaton didn’t qualify in both disciplines for Tokyo, he still walked away from the Games in 2021 as an Olympic medallist, capturing the bronze in street. (Well, perhaps he hobbled away: He did it on a broken ankle.)
That medal – and the experience as a whole – were truly life-changing, he said.
“The Olympic Games have changed my life,” he said simply. “Getting that medal changed my life forever. That confidence that I got from competing under that pressure... I carry it with me every day in the park. So to be an Olympian and to be a prior medallist and to hopefully be going back to the Games n this Qualifying Series means everything to me.
“It's exactly where I belong: In this pressure-filled situation, doing something nobody else is doing. I feel really at home.”
There is a part of Eaton that appears to be thankful that he didn’t qualify in both disciplines in Tokyo, where he felt like he may have folded in such an immense situation at the age of 20.
“I feel like going into Tokyo, I was a kid, you know?” he said.
“I wasn't ready for what the Olympic Games entailed. And this time now, especially with training and what I've seen and managing my distractions, I feel really solid.”