This story is part 3 Men's Health In our “Road to the Olympics” series, six athletes share their training journeys to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics in July. Read all the athletes' entries here.
When Jagger Eaton heads to Paris this year, it will be his second Olympic Games before turning 25. Eaton has loved skating since he was four years old, when his father gave him and his brother skateboards for Christmas. That love led to time on the board that revealed his incredible talent, leading to him being sponsored by Red Bull at age nine, becoming the youngest X Games competitor at age 11, and racking up major victories since then, including a bronze medal at the last Olympic Games. When we last spoke to him, he had just secured a spot on the team in the street division. Now, heading to Paris, he tells us in his own words how he's preparing in the final weeks leading up to the Olympics.
When are you going? After the Olympics, my life will not change much. So I will continue to live as I always have. I will go to the beach in the morning, train from about 9:30, and skate from 11:30 to 1:00. The only difference is that I missed out on the park team at the Olympic Qualifying Series in Budapest in June. That's a big disappointment. So I won't be able to skate parks for a while. But at the same time, it opened up an opportunity for me to really get into street skating.
One thing I did to process it was keep a journal. Writing out my feelings about not making the team helped me deal with them and still be grateful. There are things I need to get out and to make sure I don't take it out on my girlfriend or my family or my manager or whoever, I write it out in a notebook first. That way, I have an amazing balance with my life outside of skating, so when I'm skating, I just skate. There's a lot of fear and danger every day, so if you don't keep your emotions in check, they'll hold you down.
My routine will be the same until I leave for Paris on the 20th. Traveling is easy. Delta Airlines manages the trip and takes good care of the athletes, so I don't lose sleep during the trip. Usually the hardest part is finding a routine once I get to my destination, but Paris is easy because it's the Olympic Village, it's like a dream country.
This time, everything is different because it's not a COVID match. I'll perform well in front of the crowd, there will be about 12,000 people, everyone wants to be there and support their country. I'll be there with my whole family, so it's a lot of fun and a lot of stress.
Plus, there's the camaraderie, the friendships, and the real one-on-one interaction. You get to watch other events and cheer on Team USA. It's great because I've played individual sports my whole life. I always wanted to be part of a team, but I was never big enough to play football, baseball, or basketball. I was always so jealous of the MLB guys who get to play all these games together.
But when you go to the Olympics, you really feel like you're part of a team. The last time I was in Tokyo, I was with Nyjah. [Huston] Jake [Ilardi]We had dinner together, we competed together. It was a very special experience, because I thought, “Wow, this is what it means to be part of a team.” So I'm really looking forward to being in Paris with all of you. A big part of reaching greatness is being incredibly uncomfortable. And I'm lucky enough to be around great athletes all the time, you get to be uncomfortable all the time, and it makes you better.
I've been with the top skaters for the past three months, so I know what to expect going into Paris. Dealing with the pressure of the Olympics is a whole other story, but we have a strong lineup. The U.S. team is really strong and has a shot at a lot of medals. So, what I'm doing now is practicing as hard as I can, and the only thing on my mind is the gold medal.
Want to follow in the footsteps of more Olympians? Click below to read about their training methods, fitness habits, and more.
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