As strange as it might seem, to simply call Vicki Golden a groundbreaking athlete would actually be a disservice to everything she’s accomplished in her career. Over the past decade, the Southern California native has accomplished more on a motorcycle than any other woman in the history of two wheels.
Golden began her career as a racer, mixing it up alongside the fastest females on the planet in the Women’s Motocross Championship, which resulted in a trio of X Games gold medals in Women’s Moto X. That success provided the inspiration to become the latest rider to break the sport’s gender barrier, where she became the first woman to qualify for an AMA Arenacross Main Event and earn her Monster Energy Supercross license. She didn’t stop there. Golden chased her dream of racing under the bright lights and in the big stadiums of supercross, and successfully became the first woman to qualify for a Monster Energy Supercross night program.
At this point, Golden could have arguably been considered the most accomplished woman in motorcycle racing history, but she wasn’t finished breaking more glass ceilings. She shifted her focus to the world of freestyle motocross, where she was a natural on the metal ramps. She made more history by becoming the first woman to win an X Games Moto X Best Whip medal.
With her career thriving, Golden almost lost it all in 2018 when a freak accident at a FMX demo left her with a severely broken leg. A total of seven surgeries were needed just to save her leg, and the idea of riding again became an afterthought. Over the next year, Golden showed how tough she truly is. She didn’t just recover from her injuries, she returned to the bike and picked up right where she left off. A year and a half after her accident, Golden became the first woman to backflip the 12-foot “moonbooter” ramp at Nitro Circus Live.
Golden’s latest achievement has officially landed her in the upper echelon of all-time greats in motorcycling, man or woman. In July, Golden became the newest owner of a Guinness World Record when she broke a mark set by none other than the greatest daredevil of them all, Evel Knievel, in font of millions on “Evel Live 2.” Golden smashed through 13 wood walls of fire, and while the buzz of accomplishing such a historic feat still lingers, Golden is already fully focused on her next task of competing at X Games 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where she’ll look to add more hardware to her collection of four medals.
Monster Energy caught up with the newest member of the Monster Army, to get her thoughts on everything she’s accomplished as a rider.