Shelton’s surprise sure got this Olympic athlete “hyped!”
The 2024 Olympic Games in Paris will commence on Friday (July 26), and country music star Blake Shelton will be tuning in. The former The Voice coach has given one lucky competitor a huge surprise.
Professional skateboarder Jagger Eaton got an encouraging pre-Olympic boost when Shelton sent him a personalized send-off video message.
The surprise was orchestrated by Gold Meets Golden, an organization dedicated to supporting sports-related causes, in partnership with Samsung.
Even though Eaton said, “[He doesn’t] like surprises when [he’s] training,” we were sure he was going to love this one!
“I was about to get out here and do some damn kickflips here in my driveway, and it made me think of you,” Shelton started the video. “I just wanted to say good luck over in Paris at the Olympics. Go get the gold for USA, buddy.”
Keep reading to find out how Shelton ended the video message and see Eaton’s priceless reaction!
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What makes the surprise more interesting is that Shelton’s music actually plays a big role in Eaton’s pre-competition ritual.
The skateboarder shared his warm-up playlist on Spotify with fans shortly before his Olympic debut in Tokyo. The mix featured a unique blend of artists, including Olympic torchbearer Snoop Dogg, and yes, Blake Shelton himself.
Named after Mick Jagger, the Rolling Stones frontman, Eaton has always had a connection to music. During the pandemic-affected 2020 Tokyo Olympics, he shared how crucial music is to his performance, especially in the absence of crowd energy.
“The music I was listening to was a bit of new rap and a little bit of old country music,” Eaton shared with TODAY. “They’re polar opposites, but it got me in the groove and [was] what I needed, especially without a crowd, because I’m an athlete that thrives off a crowd. It was really hard not to have that, but we made it work.”
Check out Eaton’s playlist HERE, which features Blake Shelton’s “Kiss My Country Ass” and Toby Keith’s “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue.”
Despite competing with a broken ankle, Jagger Eaton secured the bronze medal in the street event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
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During the send-off video, Shelton told Eaton that he would be watching him in the upcoming competition.
“I’m going to be watching your event, and you’re the reason — so good luck to you! Make us all proud, and I’ll see you down the road, brother.”
Eaton had a huge smile on his face the whole time Shelton was talking. We’re sure he’ll let this surprise slide.
“That got me hyped! No way that just happened right now. I was literally just listening to him in the car…To know that Blake Shelton’s watching the Olympic Games, watching skateboarding, that’s just wild.”
Here’s to hoping Eaton upgrades his bronze to gold this summer!