Jagger Eaton made Olympic history as the first American to win a medal in skateboarding, which made a debut appearance as a sport in the Tokyo Olympics this year.

The 20-year-old won the bronze medal, taking the most out of a competition in which he was considered the underdog. Eaton realized he had done his action proud and immediately took to social media to celebrate his accomplishment.

He etched his name into history as one of the podium finishers in the first skateboarding event at the Olympics and will undoubtedly be back for more in 2024. 

Touching off his victory, Jagger Eaton revealed that his drive for success came from his inspiration- the only and only Michael Jordan. Even though the NBA legend retired 2 years before Eaton was born, his legacy was enough to star-mark him as a legend. 

“You know, the one athlete that I’ve kind of really have been thinking about a lot while I’ve been here is Michael Jordan,” Eaton said, speaking to Olympics.com. “And that’s just because his persistence in the sport was always so inspiring to me.”

Jagger Eaton played through the pain like Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan is still considered the greatest basketball player of all time, over two decades after his retirement. His constancy in the game was unrivaled and many now know that he played through injuries on occasion. Using his drive as motivation, Eaton himself powered through some pain to get to where he is. 

“I don’t know how much people know about my ankle, [it] was broken in Rome [at the street world champs] and I [suffered] two torn ligaments and two fractures and I couldn’t walk really normal,” Eaton revealed.

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“It’s why I limped off my board after I landed my last trick. And to be here and healthy and being able to walk away with a medal, you know, I’m just so stoked.”

Yuto Horigome of Japan bagged the gold medal in the Men’s street skateboarding finals followed by Kelvin Hoefler of Brazil, and Jagger Eaton.

USA professional skateboarder Nyjah Huston was expected to win gold or at least a podium finish in the event but shockingly placed 7th out of 8 participants. 

Needless to say, all these skateboarders had a ball and impressed viewers with their skill. This is the first of many skateboarding events at the Olympics, and the sport is set to expand even further. 

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