Jeanjean Takes 1st Place in BMX Park at Converse ULT.X in South Africa

Mar 03, 2024

Written by Bart de Jong

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Full podium sweep in South Africa! Monster Energy congratulates team rider Anthony Jeanjean on taking first place in BMX Freestyle Park at Converse ULT.X in South Africa. In Cape Town’s premier action sports event, the 25-year-old Olympic athlete from Béziers, France, took the win in front of a high-energy crowd. He was joined by 29-year-old Kevin Peraza from Tucson, Arizona, in second place and 28-year-old Australian team rider Boyd Hilder in third place.

In the BMX Best Trick event, 27-year-old Jeremy Malott from Lancaster, California, took the win with a mind-boggling trick.

From March 1-2, Converse ULT.X brought top local and international BMX and skateboarding talent to Battery Park in Cape Town. Started in 2008, the annual event showcases outstanding action sports performances as well as the South African Skateboarding Championships. This year, the schedule included BMX and skate contests, brand experiences, and music acts including rapper Jack Parow in a festival atmosphere.

In the BMX Park Final, Monster Energy’s Anthony Jeanjean dropped in as a favorite just one week after claiming a dominant victory in the 2024 UCI BMX Freestyle World Cup season opener at Enoshima Wave Fest in Japan. The French Olympic athlete also took the win at Converse ULT.X in 2023.

In the final at Converse ULT.X, Jeanjean stoked the crowd with a backflip into the quarterpipe, backflip double tailwhip the centerpiece, huge flair transfer over the quarterpipe channel, triple tailwhip the center, backflip barspin the spine, alley-oop flair 540 the quarterpipe, double opposite tailwhip the center, opposite flair transfer the channel, 360 double tailwhip, 720 the spine, barspin in, tuck no-hander out, and a flair on the quarterpipe for first place. Unstoppable!

Jeanjean first discovered BMX in his hometown, Montpellier, when he was 10. Today, the three-time BMX European Champion has won the French national BMX Championships four times. Jeanjean represented France in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Jeanjean was joined on the BMX Park podium by 29-year-old Kevin Peraza in second place. “It’s so crazy after everyone’s amazing riding and my slams today. It’s all personal goals and pushing through the pain,” said Peraza. “ULT.X is always such a treat, such a pleasure. The crowd, the energy, my friends riding. Just a good time.”

Rounding out the full podium sweep for Team Monster Energy, 28-year-old Australian team rider Boyd Hilder from Gold Coast took third place. “I feel that I might as well stick with what I do best, do that and do it big – and have fun. Good energy, that’s the best way to do it,” said Hilder, adding: “This is one of my favorite places to come visit.”

When the action moved into the BMX Best Trick event, 27-year-old Jeremy Malott from Lancaster, California, dropped in with a face-melting trick up his sleeve. In front of the South African crowd, Malott pulled a triple tailwhip backside 180 to take the BMX Best Trick victory. The trick was an homage to BMX legend Pat Casey, who pulled that trick a few years ago in Japan at the Chimera Games. In tribute, Malott accepted the trophy with Pat’s son, Reid Casey. Mallot also took fourth place in BMX Park.

“This was a bittersweet one. It’s an emotional one. Pat [Casey] is such a legend, and I’m so honored to have done it for him with a trick that he was a legend at. Last minute I decided to try it and had never tried it before. I took a couple of slams, but that’s what he would have done. So stoked that I came out on top,” said Malott upon winning BMX Best Trick in Cape Town.