Leme Dreams of Third PBR World Title

Jose Vitor Leme is a generational bull rider.

The 26-year-old from Brazil is, perhaps, the most dynamic athlete to ever compete in the 30-year history of the PBR.

Leme is inarguably a threat to ride every bull he draws or drafts and thus expected to win each event he competes in, which is probably why the two-time PBR World Champion is also a self-proclaimed dreamer.

“When I have a dream accomplished,” Leme said, “I put another dream on my mind. That’s one of the keys of my success—put those on the front and always chase them. 

“When I won my first world title, I’m like, ‘Now I’m going to win a second one. Now I’m chasing a third one. That motivates me a lot because [pause] some people, when they get to the top, they are like, ‘OK, I’m done.’ For me, it’s different,” Leme continued. “You always (need) to have a dream. You gotta work and do your best every time.”

It comes with at no surprise he is currently the No. 1 ranked bull rider in the world.

Leme has had five Top 10 finishes at the elite, televised level of competition this season, including a pair of event wins in New York and, later, Sacramento, California. He has also recorded a pair of second place finishes in the 15/15 Bucking Battle.

It would be a gaudy resume for others. 

For Leme, it has been rather pedestrian to this point and yet, once again, he the No. 1 bull rider in the world and, by all accounts, he has done it without breaking a sweat.  

That said, he has a 63 percent riding average and accumulated 80 marks of 90 points or higher, including a PBR record 98.75 points on Woopaa in the Championship Round of the 2021 PBR World Finals.  

“Sometimes people forget about what they did in the past. For me, I always use that. If I rode a bull for 98.75 points one day, why not do that again?” said Leme, who admitted, “It’s a lot of pressure being at the top.” 

Leme, 1, will be in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, this coming weekend along with his Monster Energy teammates—2018 World Champion Kaique Pacheco, 4; Boudreaux Campbell, 8; two-time World Champion Jess Lockwood, 24; Derek Kolbaba, 27; and Chase Outlaw, 37.  

 Leme concluded by stating the obvious, “I’ve got my eyes on gold buckle number three.”