Britain’s Jamie Bestwick kicked off the 2014 X Games from Austin in style yesterday evening, recording his ninth consecutive gold medal in the BMX vert and once again asserting his dominance.
He took the top spot with a score of 92.66, beating Simon Tabron and Dennis McCoy who took second and third respectively.
Jamie Bestwick’s Storms to Gold
Bestwick created history at Barcelona last year, setting the record for the most consecutive wins at X Games after taking his eighth gold but it seems he’s still hungry for more. The scores of his first two runs held and he took a victory lap in front of 12,000 screaming onlookers.
The Brit took top spot with his trademark airtime and some huge tricks, including a front flip flair, alley-oop tailwhip turndown and a 540 one-foot seatgrab combo, which left him asking a lot of his competitors.
Simon Tabron Takes Silver
Considering it was his ninth, Bestwick said afterwards he “looks forward to passing the torch…but another part of me really enjoys winning”. Just how long the 42 year old can keep his winning streak is anyone’s guess.
“I hope they look at me and see that if you take care of yourself and keep working hard and enjoying it, there can be longevity in it”. – Jamie Bestwick
Despite being over 40, Bestick was only the second oldest in the field, bronze medalist Dennis McCoy is 47. He became the oldest rider ever to land a 900 last night.
Along with Simon Tabron, the podium was the first time in X Games history the three medalists have all been over 40.
Dennis McCoy Still Going Strong
But despite this being the oldest X Games podium ever, Bestwick is looking to the future: “I hope I’m inspiring my generation of riders, and young riders too. I hope they look at me and see that if you take care of yourself and keep working hard and enjoying it, there can be longevity in it”.
BMX Vert Final Leaderboard
Click on the “R” to watch each rider’s run.
| PLACE | NAME | POINTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jamie Bestwick | 92.66 R |
| 2 | Simon Tabron | 89.66 R |
| 3 | Dennis McCoy | 88.33 R |
| 4 | Steve McCann | 87.00 R |
| 5 | Coco Zurita | 86.33 R |
| 6 | Mykel Larrin | 86.00 R |
| 7 | Chad Kagy | 85.66 R |
| 8 | Vince Byron | 85.00 R |
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