LOS ANGELES
Ryan Nyquist claimed top honors at
ESPN X Games IX in the Bike Stunt Dirt Final for
the first time since X Games VI in 2000. The versatile
Nyquist placed 2nd at X Games VIII and X Games VII before
his come-from-behind triumph at STAPLES CENTER.
In his first run, Nyquist landed a 720, and a suicide
no-hand backflip to take the top spot on the leaderboard
with a daunting 92.60 score. Stephen Murray (4th place)
was the only athlete to best Nyquist for a single-run score
by landing a backflip turndown, 360 turndown, and double
backflip for a score of 93.80 in his second run. Nyquist
did not respond well in his second run, missing both a
suicide, and a 720, for a disappointing 79.20 score. As a
result, Ryan Nyquist plummeted to eighth place on the board
before his final run against a very competitive field.
The undefeated Nyquist soon proved that with his big stunt
abilities, nobody could count him out until the last jump.
On the last aerial of the competition, Nyquist landed a
no-footed can-can bar spin combination that launched him
back to the top of the board for a final winning score of
92.70.
"When I landed my final trick I didn’t know if I’d pulled
it off. This competition is always close, and it always
comes down to the judges," said Nyquist.
Corey Bohan scored
second place in what was only his second X Games Bike Stunt
Dirt appearance. Bohan landed an impressive 720 in his final
run, walking away with a score of 89.90, and the silver medal.
"I knew it was really close," said Bohan, "I knew Nyquist
was really good, but anyone can take it in this event.
I just held on and had an awesome time."
Chris Doyle,
who was riding injured with two bruised heels, took third
place just behind Bohan. Doyle landed some excellent jumps,
including a superman tailwhip combo in the last round, but
it was not enough to stop Nyquist.
"This has been the best year of my career," said Nyquist
after reclaiming the gold, "It’s great to be here at X
Games competing against the best in the world. It’s a
great crowd that really knows what’s going on."
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