The grin on Jagger Eaton‘s face was infectious as it stretched from one ear to the other.

The 23-year-old from Mesa, Arizona, had just won the silver medal in men’s street skating at Paris 2024behind Japan’s Yuto Horigome.

It was a hectic final in every way. Eaton’s American teammate, the famous Noah Houstonhad led for most of the event until Eaton pulled ahead at the end of the fourth round of tricks with a nollie 270 switch backside noseblunt.

The gold medal seemed to be his until Japan’s Horigome, known for his great skating skills, responded with a nollie 270 blunt slide. He scored 97.08 and shot to the top of the rankings.

No matter how hard they tried, Eaton and Huston had no counteroffer and they gave up their final attempts, ultimately allowing Horigome to take the win.

Although he fell short of his golden goal, Eaton showed no sign of regret afterwards.

“That was probably the best final in the history of skateboarding, I think,” he told Olympics.com. “Just living in that moment and being there with my friends. And man, they’re all so good.

“To be there and fight to get on the podium, to do my tricks under such pressure, that’s what every athlete dreams of. And I’m just so grateful. I’m so grateful. There are no other words.”