2021 X GAMES - DAY 3

Liam Pace Clinches the Top Spot in Men’s Skateboard Park

Told you so! In the news announcement for X Games 2021, we already called out Pace as a wildcard in Men’s Skateboard Park. And rightly so. The 20-year-old from Tucson, Arizona, not only finished in fourth place at the recent Dew Tour Des Moines 2021. He also trains regularly at the CA|TF and knows the sprawling park course like few other riders.

When it was time to bring the heat in Friday’s final jam, Pace put together several perfect runs featuring Indy 540s into the bank, Cab backside disaster, backside Smith grind, and frontside nosegrind pop-out in the deep end, frontside 5-0 transfer off the spine, lien method over the hip, frontside 180 ollie over the volcano, frontside feeble through the corner, huge frontside wall bash to pull-out above the bank, and a kickflip Indy transfer clearing the entire tombstone obstacle.

Cheered on by his peers, the X Games rookie took the gold medal in an upset victory against the world elite in the discipline.

“It’s unreal, it really feels like a dream,” said Pace upon winning X Games gold in Men’s Skateboard Park on Friday. Asked about competing at CA|TF instead of an X Games stadium event, Pace said: “It was more mellow to session with the homies and less stressful."

Mami Tezuka Claims Silver in Heated Women’s Skateboard Park Final

Another Monster Rider claimed a career-first X Games medal on Friday: 19-year-old Mami Tezuka from Hikone Shiga, Japan, finished in silver medal position on the strength of several perfect runs.

In her second run, Tezuka put down a frontside air over the volcano, eggplant and backside Smith grind in the deep end, Indy air into the bank, ollie up to frontside tailslide over the hip, 5-0 grind on the spine and tall frontside air transfer over the channel.

The session intensified and all riders showed each other support and camaraderie. On her last run in the finals, Tezuka upped the ante with a huge frontside stalefish transfer over the gap from the large vert extension to the bank extension to secure a second-place finish – her first X Games medal – behind the UK’s Sky Brown in first.

Before earning silver as her very first X Games medal, Tezuka had already proven her contest chops with results like a third-place finish in the 2019 Vans Park Series World Championship Finals. Watch out for this young ripper in the future!

Prangenberg and Donnachie Rise to the Podium in BMX Street

The Wendy’s BMX Street final wrapped up a big day at the California Training Facility with epic performances. Finalists attacked the long, rectangular course featuring several handrails, banks, wall rides, ledges and a Euro Gap in a 30-minute jam session with winners decided on best runs.

When it comes to best runs, 23-year-old Felix Prangenberg from Rossbach, Germany, brought plenty to the table. Hitting the course with combos and precise tech moves, the newly minted Monster rider clinched the silver medal in an elite field.

Highlights in several flawless runs included uprail to hard 540 the handrail, 360 bar spin fakie on the quarterpipe into a manual off the centerpiece, gap out to peg grind, and a bar spin to ice pick grind the big rail.

Friday’s BMX Street silver is Prangenberg’s second X Games podium after his silver medal from X Games Shanghai 2019. Also make sure to watch Prangenberg’s entry in the Real BMX 2021 video contest, with winners announced this Sunday, July 18.

End of story? Not quite! Prangenberg was joined on the podium by BMX whiz kid Alex Donnachie in third place. No stranger to competitions, the 27-year-old from Perthshire, Scotland brought major skills to the battle at the CA|TF.

In his stacked final runs at the CA|TF, Donnachie posted innovative moves such as over toothpick to manual to crooked grind 180 the rail, up crooked grind to 360, and nollie to peg grind 180 to earn the bronze medal. This marks the second X Games podium for the rider who already made history as the first Scottish athlete ever to medal at X Games when he took BMX Street gold at X Games Sydney 2018.

Friday’s BMX Street final concludes the BMX portion of X Games 2021, with Monster Energy riders claiming a total of ten medals, including four gold, in a dominant performance. 

Congrats to all Monster Energy riders and thanks to the CA Training Facility for hosting this epic day of events!