Monster Energy BMXers Shut Down the Best Trick Podium on Day 4
Way to shut it down! On day four of X Games 2022, Monster Energy BMXers claimed all three medals in BMX Park Best Trick inside the California Training Facility (CA|TF) in Vista, California.
At the end of a heavy jam session full of never-been-done tricks, Mike Varga took gold next to teammate Kevin Peraza claiming silver and Jeremy Malott walking away with bronze in Dave Mirra BMX Park Best Trick. Two additional silver medals came from Nyjah Huston taking second place in Skateboards Street Best Trick as well as Justin Dowell putting down a perfect run in BMX Park.
Saturday’s medal haul brings the Monster Energy team’s X Games 2022 count to 15 Medals: 4 gold, 9 silver, 2 bronze. And there’s one more day to go with skate competitions on Sunday!
BMX Park: Justin Dowell Takes Silver
The team’s medal run started in the BMX Park competition on the massive concrete bowl course inside the California Training Facility (CA|TF). Riders from Australia, Argentina, Japan, Mexico, as well as the United States, and United Kingdom took turns looking for their best run in a 36-minute session.
When all was said and done, 22-year-old Monster Energy team rider Justin Dowell from Virginia Beach once again rose all the way to the podium after making a strong impression at last year’s event.
Stringing together a perfect run that featured no-handed 360 over the centerpiece, 540 barspin-catch-barspin over the hip, triple truck driver over the center, tailwhip 360, massive lookback flair into the wallride, and tailwhip barspin earned Dowell the well-deserved silver medal.
Dowell has only competed two times at X Games and now clinched his second X Games medal after already claiming BMX Park silver in his debut at X Games Chiba 2022. Way to keep the podiums coming!
Skateboard Street Best Trick: Nyjah Huston Claims Silver
Nyjah Huston dropped into X Games 2022 after a dominant victory at the World Street Skateboarding Rome competition. But he faced massive heat from an elite field of street skaters and ended up finishing outside the podium in the high-stakes Skateboard Street contest.
Then again, Huston is known for never calling it quits and finally found his medal at X Games 2022 in the Skateboard Street Best Trick event: During the 20-minute jam session judged on single best trick attempts, riders sent their biggest tricks down stair sets, handrails, and Hubba ledges.
Aiming for the biggest rail on the course, Huston clinched the silver medal by finessing a perfect Caballerial kickflip backside lipslide fakie. And like that, the 27-year-old from Laguna Beach, California, earned what is already his twentieth X Games medal.
Based on Saturday’s second place, Huston not only joins the elite few athletes to own more than 20 medals in the competition series. He has also continuously claimed medals in every one of the 17 X Games he has entered since earning his first medal as a young upstart with silver at X Games 2009.
Huston now owns 13 gold, 5 silver, and 2 bronze medals and has another shot at the podium in the first real-life Skateboard Real Street Best Trick contest, announced during the ABC live broadcast on July 24.
Dave Mirra’s BMX Park Best Trick:
Saving the most innovative tricks for last, the Dave Mirra BMX Park Best Trick final soon escalated into a progression session for the history books. Over the course of 20 minutes, eight riders from six countries (Australia, Canada, Japan, Mexico, and United States) attacked the bowl course inside the California Training Facility (CA|TF).
At the end of the day, Monster Energy riders claimed every single medal in the event. What’s more, Mike Varga made history as the world’s first rider to claim the win in BMX Park Best Trick for three years in a row.
The 25-year-old from Oshawa, Canada, earned the historic threepeat after suffering a heavy slam and bending his bike’s frame out of shape. The battle paid off on Varga’s very last attempt of the final with a huge 900 barspin-catch-barspin for the gold medal. Varga now owns three gold and one bronze medals from X Games.
Joining the field of medalists, 27-year-old Kevin Peraza from Tucson, California, unleashed a massive trick in his eleventh X Games appearance: A huge backflip 180 tailwhip over the spine earned Peraza a strong second place finish. He now owns five X Games Medals: 3 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze.
The full podium sweep for team Monster Energy was completed by 25-year-old Jeremy Malott from Lake Havasu, Arizona. The graduate of the Monster Army program earned his bronze medal with a creative and rare deck trick: 180 backflip onto the deck of the bowl to backflip back into the transition. Malott now owns two X Games medals, both bronze.
One More Day To Go!
Tune in to ESPN’s live feeds for more action from X Games 2022 on Sunday for the grand finale: The Women’s Skateboard Street final will feature 14-year-old Rayssa Leal from Imperatriz, Brazil, fresh off her recent win at SLS Jacksonville 2022. Also keep an eye on Japanese team rider and five-time X Games medalist Aori Nishimura from Tokyo.
As the final event of the action-packed weekend, Men’s Skateboard Park will showcase the unique talents of 18-year-old Kieran Woolley from Minnamurra, Australia and another young gun: 15-year-old Raphae Ueda from San Marcos, California, is the son of famous 1990s vert skater Lincoln Ueda and long-time local at the California Training Facility. We’re officially putting our bet on this kid as this year’s wildcard!
Sunday will also mark the reveal of the winners in the Skateboard Real Street Best Trick contest, with Monster Energy riders Nyjah Huston, Kelvin Hoefler, and young Japanese upstart Daiki Ikeda in the mix.
With all that said, make sure to tune in on Sunday at X Games 2022!
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