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Skateboarding sensation Jagger Eaton names winning the gold medal as his biggest competitive goal entering the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. (Photo by Chris Condon/PGA Tour) Jagger Eaton is one of the top young skateboarders in the world. The 24-year-old Arizona native won the first skateboarding medal in the Olympic Games when he earned a bronze in 2021 on the street in Japan. He went on to win silver in the Olympic Games in the street event in France in 2024. The 2028 Olympic Games will take place in Los Angeles, California, which is just six hours away from Eaton’s hometown in Scottsdale, Arizona. Eaton – who always has a smile on his face and oozes positive vibes – says the clear-cut objective is to win the gold medal for the first time. It would make it that much sweeter that it’s taking place in his home country in America. “The biggest competitive goal that I have at skateboarding is to win a gold medal in Los Angeles,” says Eaton in a one-on-one interview. “Without a doubt, I’m so grateful to be in a situation where I get to compete in home games. I’m so fortunate that I’m able to do that. I know what it takes to get third. I know what it takes to get second. I honestly thought I got gold in Paris. I think that I can take that over the judges at some point. But looking forward to Los Angeles, I’m incredibly excited.” Eaton is one of the prominent names on the skateboarding scene these days. He’s a versatile skater – he names his versatility as his best trait – who is able to compete in both street and park competitions. He was once upon a time the youngest X Games competitor at the age of 11 back in 2o12. The laid-back Eaton is very easygoing to talk to, but his competitiveness comes out when he starts talking about the upcoming Olympics in Los Angeles. It’s the first Olympic games to take place in Los Angeles since 1984 and the first to take place stateside since 1996 when the event took place in Atlanta. MORE FOR YOU To win the gold medal – which would be the first time for Eaton – in America would easily be the biggest accomplishment of his career. Eaton admits as such even though he likely has a lot of skateboarding left in his career. “No doubt about it,” says Eaton when asked if it would be the biggest accomplishment of his career. “I haven’t met a lot of Olympians who won the gold medals in their country right next to Los Angeles when it was here 30 some years ago. That is the main goal. I’m so grateful to be just at a really good spot in my career to do that. Knowing exactly what it takes to get there, knowing what the qualifications are like, and knowing what that pressure is like. I'm very excited.” Eaton says he’s doing a lot of mobility and PT work as he recovers from an ankle injury. He says he wants to skate until he’s 32 or 33 years old, but that a skater’s prime is from about 21 to 28 years old. That means winning at the 2028 Olympic Games when he’s 27 years old would represent likely his last chance in his “prime” to win a gold medal. He says he’s already feeling the effect of his injuries and the wear and tear of being a competitive skater for over a decade. Eaton says he feels a lot different at the age of 24 than he felt at the age of 19, citing a nagging ankle injury that could require surgery. “I think that a skateboarders’s prime is probably from 21 to 28,” says Eaton. I would say 28, that’s about their prime. I think that’s really based on the longevity of their careers and their bodies. What I mean by that is the significant injuries take an impact. I’ve had a Inguinal hernia, I’ve had collarbone surgery. I’ve had all of these things, but nothing compares to an ankle surgery, because that’s something that you’re on every day. “You feel that surgery much different,” Eaton continues. “If you really take care of yourself and you really do what it takes to get back to where you want to, you take your time and not force the healing and not force the pain. You really do have like a solid eight or nine years at your prime.” Jagger Eaton Talks Samsung Partnership, How It Benefits Street Skateboarding League Eaton is re-partnering with Team Samsung Galaxy after having partnered with the well-known electronics brand during the 2024 Olympics. The partnership is part of a global alliance between Samsung and the Street Skateboarding League. The Street Skateboarding League is an international tournament founded by Rob Dyrdek back in 2010. “I was fortunate to be a part of Team Samsung Galaxy going into Paris, which kind of changed my whole world,” says Eaton. “It threw everything up in the air, being able to use our technology and be a part of the openness of the brand was phenomenal. After obviously Olympic cycle deals, they end. Which is upsetting, I was pretty bummed. To rejoin is just phenomenal. I'm very excited.” As part of the partnership, Eaton will participate in on-site activations, with the young skater participating in one in Las Vegas. He explains what the on-site activations consist of and what the purpose of the new partnership is. “We did the first one in Vegas at the takeover,” says Eaton. "But the activations are because Samsung decided to take a big leap into skateboarding and be a part of street League. Which is huge for skateboarding. I think that partnership is really going to show kids that there’s a whole new realm of possibility for them in skateboarding. There’s basically a whole new brand that that’s heavily invested in the grassroots parts of skateboarding, and Street League’s kind of that part. “The activations are great,” Eaton continues. “I feel like we’re still trying to find our footing about how to get Samsung really involved with the fans, the skateboarding fans. SLS Vegas was great, and we had a great time. We had we had an autograph signing, we gave away Galaxy Buzz, which probably changed these guys’ lives. For them to be able to skate with that level of tech and those level of headphones, they’re going to love it.” He says the Flip 7 and the Galaxy Buds are his favorite items from Samsung. “The Flip 7 is my day-to-day phone, and that phone is in my pocket, just being able to minimize it and being able to keep in my pockets skating with gym shorts,” says Eaton. “Everybody was tripping, how at the games I was skating with my phone and my gym shorts. Everybody was like, ‘How are you doing that?’ I’m like, 'Y’all got to get on it. I feel like the Galaxy Buds have become my daily. I’m always listening to music. There’s always something going on in my ears.” Editorial StandardsReprints & Permissions
