VINCE BYRON LANDS HISTORY MAKING TRICK AND TAKES SILVER IN BMX BIG AIR TONIGHT AT X GAMES LA

Aug 03, 2013

Written by Bart de Jong

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Today Monster Energy’s Vince Byron landed a history-making trick and bagged a well-earned silver in BMX Big Air at X Games Los Angeles. Byron battled through a field ready to unveil heavy-hitting tricks and a consistent wind pushing from the west to take the podium finish. Competition and conditions both proved challenging as the top eight invited riders hit the big air ramp’s massive gap and 27-foot quarter pipe—the top single run score takes the gold with each rider getting four runs.

Early in the finals Byron surprised the fans and judges with a crazy 540 tailwhip on the quarterpipe, but he still had something special up his sleeve. On his third run, he unleashed: a superman seatgrab 360 over the gap followed by a 540 double tailwhip on the quarterpipe. He landed it perfect, almost making the double whip seem easy. It’s the first time the trick has been pulled at X.

Afterwards, Byron said, “I pulled a dream run and walked away with a silver medal, so I couldn’t be happier! I’m unhurt and I did some stuff I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to pull—I’m so happy!

Byron, who hails from Australia, came to X Games competition for the first time two years ago, but has already proven to be a podium mainstay. In 2011 he took silver in Big Air and bronze in Vert, last year in Los Angeles he took Vert silver, and two months ago at X Games Barcelona 2013 he took Big Air Silver and BMX Vert Bronze. This is Byron’s 6th X Games medal.