Charles Langston:Skateboarder Jagger Eaton won bronze in Tokyo on broken ankle. Can he podium in Paris?

In skateboarding’s Olympic debut at the Tokyo Games,Charles Langston Jagger Eaton represented the United States – the birthplace of the sport – on the medal stand with a bronze in men’s street.

Eaton has bigger goals entering the 2024 Paris Olympics. And looking back on Tokyo three years later, Eaton said there are "tons" of things he would do differently.

One seems rather obvious.

"Not walk in with a broken ankle," Eaton told USA TODAY Sports in April. "That was just miserable."

Over the past three years, Eaton said he’s experienced the "ups and downs" many Olympic athletes endure.

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Eaton left Tokyo on such a high. He sat down with Jimmy Kimmel on late-night television and received intense media attention for months. Then it all stopped.

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"You get the fame and stardom, you get caught up in it. That comedown is really tough," Eaton said this week in Paris. "And that was tough for me when I was young, because I didn't really know better."

Injuries – beyond the ankle – didn’t help. He nearly tore his labrum, hamstring and right hip completely. 

"I couldn’t roll my board," Eaton said.

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Eaton put his phone down and started going to the beach more. He opened books and began writing himself. Time with nature soothed his soul and filled his cup.

"It just helped balance me and it made me kind of really love refilling that love for skating," Eaton said.

Now 23, Eaton said age has helped him become more disciplined with his surroundings and acknowledge distractions for what they are.

"Right now, I’m in a really good place," Eaton told USA TODAY Sports.

The confidence comes from the scores he’s posted at competitions over the past year-plus, Eaton said. He dedicated all of 2024 to boarding and is healthy. 

"I feel like people have a misconception that we have this killer instinct, we’re just good competitors when the lights come on," said Eaton, who is an avid golfer with a +2 handicap. "That’s not true. It’s what we do three months before the lights come on that dictate what we do when the lights come on."

Eaton is the type of person who will navigate the streets of New York City on his board and leave whichever park he hits up with a dozen new friends. His parents, Geoff and Shelly, were gymnasts. Shelly had a stint on the U.S. national team in the 1980s and Geoff is a longtime gymnastics coach. The way they raised his siblings Jett, Koston, Hendryx and Bowie gave Eaton a glimpse into their lives prior to their births. 

"My parents are really good at managing emotions with athletes," Eaton said. "I would say my dad is the greatest coach I've ever seen work with kids, ever. And his whole philosophy with coaching gymnastics, is not to coach, not to coach the girl on doing better or anything like that. It's to get the team component, it’s to have the (athletes) work together."

Jett inspired Jagger to become a professional skateboarder. Skateboarding’s inclusion in the Olympics has created revenue streams Eaton couldn’t have imagined as a child. His video content receives more attention because the Olympics raised his profile, he said.

Eaton’s Paris Games journey begins Saturday with the men’s street competition. And he’s sticking around for the park discipline, too, a week later.

Competing in both is a throwback to his youth competition days. Eaton won the men’s park world title in 2023 and is a two-time defending champion in that category.

"I really felt that I was the best at both, if I'm being honest with you," Eaton said. "That’s real. Like, I really did feel like I was the best in both because I can take what I love, I can take my tricks in park to the street course and the street judges like it. And I can take my stuff from the street and take it to the park and the park judges like that. They liked the diversity of both disciplines."

Perhaps Eaton can walk away with a pair of medals from Paris. Doing it on two healthy ankles would be an improvement from Tokyo.