Five-in-a-Row

Jamie Bestwick Captures His Fifth Consecutive BMX Freestyle Vert Gold

 

To say that Jamie Bestwick has owned the BMX Freestyle Vert event would be a bit of an understatement.  In previous years he was able to cruise to a gold medal with not much competition. But in X Games 17, Bestwick was pushed by a couple of hard-charging Australians – led by Steve McCann.

He was able to hold them off however, and capture his X Games record fifth-consecutive gold in the event.

“Everybody kind of looks at me to set the high bench mark,” Bestwick said. “But why should it be up to me all the time? I want to be challenged by other riders and that has been quite a task for people to achieve.  But here we are at X Games 17; everybody stepped up and gave me a run for my money.  So I had to put my riding to another level.”

“BMX Vert is all about everyone throwing down until the end and here we are with a five-peat and I cemented my name in history.”

His score total of 92.00 narrowly beat out McCann, whose score of 90.00 included a no-handed 900.

“I am feeling amazing,” McCann said.  “This X Games, I can’t even explain it. I did everything that I wanted to do.  I can’t wait to come back here next year and do it all again.”

McCann’s fellow countryman Vince Byron, who wowed the crowd with a 540 double tail whip, grabbed the bronze with a score total of 79.00.

Vert competitions have become a favorite of actions sports fans who revel in seeing riders soar several feet above the top of the halfpipe, which is referred to as the “deck.”  The halfpipe for X Games 17 is 60 feet wide with 11.5-foot transitions and two feet of vert.  The riders work the ramp from wall to wall combining technical big airs and lip tricks.  Heats consist of high-energy 12-minute jams.  Competitors are judged based on aggressive execution of maneuvers, degree of difficulty, variety, continuity of run, originality and style, amplitude (height of airs) and use of the ramp.

For X Games media information, including press releases, logos and additional images from past events, log on to www.espneventmedia.com. To view medalist runs, visit the Winter X Games You Tube Channel – https://www.youtube.com/xgames and follow the X Games on Twitter at Twitter.com/xgames

 

X Games 17

In its ninth year in Los Angeles, X Games 17 will feature more than 200 athletes at competition venues and event spaces including STAPLES Center and Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE. The 17th annual action sports competition to be held in Los Angeles July 28 – 31 and will debut the new discipline of Enduro X, as well as the first-ever rally street circuit running through the downtown area. ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC will combine to telecast 25 hours of live X Games 17 competition. In addition to the 25  original hours in high definition, the Worldwide Leader in Action Sports will also televise 21 hours of X Games action on ESPN 3D. More than 29 hours will also be distributed on ESPN3.com.

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Contacts:

Danny Chi, (Print Media, General Inquires), 310-500-5699, [email protected]

Alex Rozis (Broadcast media), 415-609-0749, [email protected]

Grace Coryell (Online and Radio media), 310-956-5098, [email protected]

Katie Moses-Swope (Athlete Requests), 310-339-4552, [email protected]