MESA, Ariz. — Olympians with ties to Arizona are busy with qualifying rounds leading up to the 2024 games in Paris.
One sport that's only its second appearance on the world stage is skateboarding. The event rolled into the mix and made history in the Tokyo games.
Mesa's Jagger Eaton made the Valley proud as one of the first people to bring home a medal in the new Olympic sport, earning the bronze.
12News got to visit the park where it all started.
"I think what really called me to it, was the freedom of it, the fact that I could do it anywhere," Eaton explained.
Where it all really started though, is at Valley sports center KTR (Kids That Rip) in Mesa. That's where Eaton truly began to shine.
"I'll never be able to thank my family enough for building this place for me, look at it, it's a sanctuary this is an air-conditioned area where I can master my craft," said Eaton.
A craft, that he's been working on since he was just a kid.
Ahead of the 2024 Paris games, the Arizona Olympian is currently crazy busy with numerous competitions.
"The village, the spirit, there's no contest like the Olympic games," he said.
Eaton's dad, Jeff Eaton, overjoyed with his son's performance in Tokyo.
Jeff trains young athletes in Arizona.
"We created this really neat environment that allowed these kids to have a place for 6 or 7 hours a day, where their parents could drop them off and not worry," Jeff explained.
His son pointed the sporting center is something a part of the skateboarding world was missing this time of year in a place like Arizona.
"My dad saw a huge missing market in skateboarding, especially an indoor skatepark in Arizona that hasn't been hit and my dad put everything into this here in Arizona, to continue to fund the dream," Eaton added.
The bronze medalist makes us all proud, proving that hard work and dedication can take you to the world stage. His dream living on in the next round when Arizona's own head back to the Olympic games next summer.
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