X Games 2021 DAILY UPDATE Wednesday, July 14, 2021 Issue #1
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X Games 2021 DAILY UPDATE Wednesday, July 14, 2021 Issue #1 Contents Fact Collector X Games 2021 ....................................................................................................................... 1 Course Descriptions ..................................................................................................................................... 7 BMX Dirt ................................................................................................................................................... 7 BMX Park ................................................................................................................................................. 7 BMX ............................................................................................................................................................. 8 Dream Yard Preview ................................................................................................................................ 8 Fact Collector X Games 2021 X Games Athletes • 4,127 athletes have competed at X Games, through XG Aspen 2021. • Including the USA, 55 different countries have been represented at X Games; 39 different countries have earned at least one medal. • 41 medals in 17 disciplines will be awarded at X Games 2021. Gold-only for BMX Dave Mirra’s Park Best Trick, BMX Dirt Best Trick, SKB Street Best Trick, SKB Vert Best Trick, Moto X 110s. Gold/silver/bronze for the other 12 disciplines. X Games Medals • 1,237 gold medals have been awarded through XG Aspen & Real Series 2021. • 1,139 silver medals have been awarded through XG Aspen & Real Series 2021. • 1,144 bronze medals have been awarded through XG Aspen & Real Series 2021. • 3,520 total medals have been awarded through XG Aspen & Real Series 2021. X Games Sport Disciplines Seventeen disciplines will be contested at X Games 2021. • Skateboard (tri-code SKB): Men’s Street, Women’s Street, Men’s Street Best Trick, Women’s Park, Men’s Park, Vert, Vert Best Trick • BMX: Street, Park, Dirt, Dirt Best Trick, Dave Mirra’s Park Best Trick • Moto X (tri-code MTX): Best Trick, Freestyle, QuarterPipe High Air, Best Whip, 110s XG Location History (Primarily Summer Events) • Extreme Games (X Games 1) 1995: Newport, RI • X Games Providence 1996 • X Games San Diego 1997-98 • X Games San Francisco 1999-2000 • X Games Philadelphia 2001-02 • X Games Los Angeles 2003-12 • X Games Foz do Iguaçu 2013 (April) • X Games Barcelona 2013 (May) • X Games Munich 2013 (June) • X Games Los Angeles 2013 (August) • X Games Austin 2014-2016 • X Games Sydney 2018 • X Games Shanghai 2019 (June) • X Games Minneapolis 2017-2019 • X Games 2021 (July, Southern California) XG Location History (Primarily Winter Events) • X Games Big Bear 1997 • X Games Crested Butte 1998-1999 • X Games Mount Snow 2000-2001 • X Games Tignes 2013 • X Games Oslo 2016 • X Games Norway 2017-2019 • X Games Aspen 2002-2021 X Games 2021 FACTS *Due to athlete adds/drops, stats could change as competition progresses Number of Athletes 79 Number of X Games 15 Rookies Number of Sports 3 (Skateboard, BMX, Moto X) Number of Medal 17 Disciplines Average athlete age 25 years, 4 months Teenagers 11 (13.9% of the field). States represented 11 State with the most California: 22 athletes Countries represented 10 Country with the most USA (43) athletes Countries to compete in 55 X Games history Number of countries to 39 medal at XG (summer and winter disciplines) XG 2021 STATS BY DISCIPLINE KEY SKB STATS QUEEN LETICIA --Leticia Bufoni is tied with Elissa Steamer for most gold in Women’s SKB Street (4) history. It’s a record that has stood since 2008, but Bufoni is favored to claim it for herself at XG 2021. The 28-year-old Brazilian has 11 medals overall. A 12th medal would tie her with Lindsey Jacobellis for third-most X Games medals by a woman. GO GO GAVIN! --Watch for 14-year-old Gavin Bottger in Men’s SKB Park. The CA|TF regular could become the first rookie in 10 years to win in the discipline. And if he does, he’d be the youngest Park champ since Ryan Sheckler in 2003 (13 yr. 7 mos.) NEW WOMEN’S PARK CHAMP -- There have been 5 unique gold medalists from the 6 X Games Women's SKB Park contests at X Games. It's about to be 6 from 7 because the field is free of previous winners. REACH FOR THE SKY --Sky Brown, who turned 13 on July 7, is the favorite. A win would make her the second-youngest gold medalist in X Games history. She misses the title for absolute youngest by just over one week. Brighton Zeuner nabbed that record 1 day after her 13th birthday with her SKB Park gold at XG Minneapolis 2017. P-ROD RETURNS --Four-time SKB Street gold medalist Paul Rodriguez is back in action at X Games for the first time since Austin 2015. He's one of the best ever to compete in this discipline, and the 36- year-old is a legit skateboard legend. With 4 gold, 3 silver, 1 bronze (8 total), P-Rod is 2nd behind Nyjah Huston for both most SKB Street gold (Nyjah has 10) and most SKB Street medals (Nyjah has 16). JIMMY THREE TIMES? XG Minneapolis 2018 & 2019 Skateboard Vert gold medalist Jimmy Wilkins is favored to earn his third straight title. The discipline dates all the way back to 1995, but it would be just the third time X Games has seen a Skateboard Vert threepeat. Bucky Lasek won 4 straight in 2013 and Pierre-Luc Gagnon won 3 from 2008-2010. PLUCKY BUCKY --Bucky Lasek is 48 yrs. 7 mos. of age. He finished 15th in SKB Vert at Minneapolis 2019. It’s a longshot, but if he can win either Vert or Vert Best Trick, he’ll become the oldest male gold medalist at an X Games summer event. That record was set by Jeff Ward, who was 47 yrs. 1 mth. when he won 2008 SuperMoto gold. Lasek, however, hasn’t earned a SKB medal at all since his unprecedented Bucky slam in 2013, when he won 4 straight Vert gold. --Additionally, 1 medal will tie Lasek with Pierre-Luc Gagnon for 5th on the all-time X Games medal count (21). KEY BMX STATS BMX TRIPLE WATCH --Four riders are competing in at least three BMX disciplines at XG 2021 (Pat Casey is competing in 4!). Only 3 riders in history have earned 3 BMX medals at a single X Games. Chad Kagy was the last rider to do it (2006). Dave Mirra and Dennis McCoy were the others (1998; when Mirra took 3 gold). --Kevin Peraza will become the first BMX rider to compete in this combination of BMX disciplines: Dirt, Park, Street. Ben Wallace will complete in Dirt, Park and Dirt Best Trick, Jaie Toohey is in Dirt, Dirt Best Trick and Park Best Trick --Pat Casey is in Dirt, Dirt Best Trick, Park and Park Best Trick (everything happening at his own house, in other words) but he’s also competing in MTX 110s! This will be the first time a BMX athlete crosses over to Moto X. No athlete ever has earned 4 medals at a single X Games event. Can Casey earn 5? (110s is gold only). “NO ONE OVER 25” IN JEOPARDY? --Get this: In the complete history of BMX Dirt at X Games (20 contests) every single gold medalist has been 25 years of age or younger. Only 2 athletes could keep this streak alive in 2021. Colton Walker, now 24, won Dirt at X Games Minneapolis 2017. Bryce Tryon, a 20-year-old rookie, is the other rider who could keep this streak alive. Good luck, kid. WELCOME BACK, CROATIA! --Marin Rantes will become the first Croatian athlete at X Games since Irena Palosek competed in Speed Climbing in 1995! If Rantes medals in either BMX Park or Park Best Trick, he will raise the total number of unique medalist countries in X Games history to 40. GARRETT THE GOAT? --With Real BMX 2020 gold, Garrett Reynolds earned his 13th X Games title. An XG 2021 victory would bring him even with Dave Mirra, Jamie Bestwick and Bob Burnquist for second- most X Games gold (14 each), just one behind Shaun White's 8-year-old record of 15. Reynolds has won 11 of the 14 gold medals awarded in BMX Street history at XG. GARRETT’S MANY CHALLENGERS --Wow. Of the 14 BMX Street contests held in X Games history, 12 have featured unique silver medalists! Our favorite to add to this list would be Street first-timer Kevin Peraza. KEY MOTO X STATS LUCKY 7 FOR JACKO? -- Jackson Strong has a perfect 8 medals from 8 Best Trick starts (6 gold, 2 silver). The Aussie is a good bet to tie Travis Pastrana and Ronnie Renner for most gold medals in a single Moto X discipline in 2021 (7). Strong won the most recent XG MTX Best Trick contest, taking gold at Norway 2019 with a no- handed frontflip. AUSSIES ONLY --Australians have won 8 of the past 10 Moto X Best Trick gold medals. They also have swept the Best Trick podium 3 times since 2011. --In Freestyle, they’ve earned 12 of the past 15 medals awarded and swept the podium at X Games Minneapolis 2019, the most recent XG Freestyle contest. Five of the 8 riders on the 2021 invite list are from Australia. WHAT NEXT FOR RINALDO? --David Rinaldo was a little-known journeyman entering X Games Minneapolis 2019…and then he landed the world’s first backflip body varial for Best Trick gold. The Frenchman says he’s working on something new for XG 2021, but something old would do: Judges say it’s hard to imagine anyone beating another flip varial. 40 AND UP CLUB --It’s lonely at the top. Corey Creed is the only rider to break the 40-ft. mark in MTX QuarterPipe High Air. His max height of 40-ft. 8-in. at X Games Norway 2019 earned him a second straight gold in the discipline. At XG 2021, QuarterPipe High Air will be contested outdoors for the first time.