Independent Student Newspaper for the University of Texas at San Antonio

The Paisano

Independent Student Newspaper for the University of Texas at San Antonio

The Paisano

Independent Student Newspaper for the University of Texas at San Antonio

The Paisano

2015 X Games takes over Austin

Vince byron

The X Games celebrated its 20th anniversary as the extreme sporting event invaded Austin, Texas for the 2015 chapter. The four-day event featured the world’s greatest skaters, BMX bikers, rally-car racers and motocross riders.

Australian born Vince Byron made history on the second day of the event after taking gold in the BMX Vert Final, unseating BMX legend and defending gold medalist Jamie Bestwick in the process. Byron’s gold medal win broke Bestwick’s X Games record of nine consecutive gold medal wins.

“I knew Jamie (Bestwick) was still going to bring the heat and he wasn’t going to go down without a fight,” said Byron. “To put it all together is my dream. It’s what I’ve been working toward all year.”

Byron received his first ever X Games gold medal with the win, posting a phenomenal score of 92.00 while becoming the first BMX biker to land a 540 flair in competition.

“To win, I knew I had to do a lot more than just a couple of good tricks,” said Byron. “I knew I had to be butter; I had to be flawless.”

In a sport dominated by Americans, Byron’s medal counted as one of the six that the Aussies collected during the events, placing Australia second in the medal count standings behind the United States (40) and in front of Brazil (5).

Fellow BMX biker and Australian, Kyle Baldock, picked up a gold medal in the BMX Dirt event with a score of 90.00. With the win, Baldock secured his third consecutive BMX Dirt gold medal.

Canadian skateboarder Pierre-Luc Gagnon took home gold in the Skateboard Vert finals. The win marked the 21st overall medal and 9th gold medal for the phenomenal skateboarder.

“Skateboarding is an art form to me,” said Gagnon. “It’s not just about the competition and tricks, it’s been my passion my whole life.”

On the final day of competition, former child prodigy Nyjah Huston dominated in the Monster Energy Skateboard Street contest, posting a 94.00 with the nearest competitor — Chaz Ortiz — placing a score of 83.00.

Nyjah Huston made headlines in 2005 after competing as a professional at the age of 11. Now at the age of 20, Huston has been absolutely dominant in X Games Street events, winning five of the last seven gold medals for the events.

“Every win takes a lot of hard work and practice on the course and a lot of preparation,” said Huston. “I’m stoked that I was able to put down those first two runs and not put too much pressure on myself.”

The event was the second consecutive X Games hosted by Austin. With the proper support, it is likely the X Games will return to the capital in 2016.

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