Bestwick Marks First Gold Four-Peat in BMX Freestyle Vert

Jul 31, 2010

Written by Bart de Jong

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Jamie Bestwick was perfection on the vert ramp Friday, taking gold to land the first four-peat in BMX Freestyle Vert Finals history during the X Games at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. "Coming into the final I knew it was going to be tough. I just reverted to how I rode in qualifying and it made it as smooth as it could be early on," Bestwick said. "I'm a competitor. I like to go out there and do a good job of representing BMX to the highest."

It was Bestwick's seventh X Games gold medal, which he won with

the competition's two best run scores thanks in part to his superior amplitude and technical trick combos, including a double downside tailwhip, and opposite flare to opposite fastplant flair.

"I felt like I made real good use of the ramp. I kept my height and I

always had enough momentum to get me up and out," Bestwick said. "I can't say that there was one standout trick, it's just that everything went together really well and in a jam format. That's the pattern you need."

In a tie-breaker that counted the highest final run score, Steve McCann finished out the night taking silver and Simon Tabron earned the bronze.

Results Vert X Games 16, Los Angeles:
1. Jamie Bestwick Derbyshire, Great Britain 90.00
2. Steve McCann Melbourne, Australia 80.00
3. Simon Tabron Newquay, Great Britain 80.00
4. Chad Kagy Gilroy, Calif. 79.00
5. Coco Zurita Santiago, Chile 70.00

Pics by Monster & ESPN