X Games Minneapolis: Day Two Recap

Day Two of X Games Minneapolis 2018 was everything one could expect from the world’s premier action sports competition as athletes from all corners of the globe competed in seven highly charged finals in BMX, Skateboard and Moto X to the delight of more than 35,000 fans that flooded the gates on Friday.

Photo by Paul Langfellow

Following qualifying rounds in the SoFi Women’s Skateboard Street and Monster Energy Men’s Skateboard Street, where Mariah Duran and Vincent Milou took the top qualifying spots for their respective finals, the world’s top amateur riders competed in the Next X Skateboard Street and Park Finals. While young Liam Pace took the win on the Park course, flowing through the bowls with style and power unknown for someone his age, on the Street course  Brazil’s Giovanni Vianna, whose technical run which included a cab-to-frontside lipslide that put him on top of the podium with a score of 90.33.

Next up was the Women’s BMX Park Demo in which, for the first time, women riders had their chance to compete on the world stage. With legends cheering them on, eight women brought their best tricks to the course taking another step in the evolution of their sport.

As evening approached, BMX action continued with three more events — BMX Street Final, The Real Cost BMX Big Air and Dave Mirra’s Park Best Trick Final.

First up was the BMX Street Final, with an international field of riders looking to take their most technical tricks to the stairs, rails and ledges of the Street course. In a thrilling come-from-behind win, Chad Kerley regained gold by dethroning nine-time champ Garrett Reynolds on his final run. Lining up combo after combo like a barspin-to-manual-to-barspin-to-tailpick grind, Kerley’s technicality was simply unmatched on his final run as his 92.33 overtook Reynolds’ previous high score of 91.33 by a full point. Taking home bronze was last year’s silver medalist Devon Smillie. This was Kerley’s second gold in the discipline, after taking gold at X Games Los Angeles in 2013.

Immediately following on the adjacent Park course, X Games rookie Alex Haim paid ultimate tribute to an X Games legend with his unbelievable tail whip to foot-jam tailwhip on the wall ride in the winner-take-all Dave Mirra’s BMX Park Best Trick Final. The 22-year-old deservedly rode away with the coveted Golden Pedal after landing a trick never done before at X Games.

Next up was the first Moto X competition of the weekend, with the high flying, high octane Moto X QuarterPipe High Air Final. In a display defiant of gravity itself, Axell Hodges flew the highest en route to victory. Launching a jaw dropping 34 feet 3 inches off the ground, Hodges is quicky solidifying his name in the sport as one of the most daring riders on the scene. Coming in a close second was last year’s winner Colby Raha, who soared 33 feet 2 inches for his first X Games silver medal. Tyler Bereman took bronze with a height of 29 feet 9 inches. The win earned Hodges his first X Games gold.

The Real Cost BMX Big Air competition once again proved to be the domain of 32-year-old James Foster. In a repeat performance from last year Foster took home Big Air gold. Beginning his run with a Superman seat grab on the 65-foot gap, he then did the unthinkable on the quarterpipe – performing the never-done-before quadruple downside tailwhip. Posting a high score of 89.33 was more than enough to top Texas’ Morgan Wade, who’s massive one-handed triple tailwhip earned him a silver medal score of 87.66. Last night’s Vert gold medalist Vince Byron took bronze.

Finally, the Moto X Freestyle Finals saw the progression of the sport in real time as Frenchman Tom Pages Took home his first ever gold in the event. Pages brought it all to the table tonight with a powerful run that started with a double backflip no-hander and finished with his one of a kind bike flip on the quarterpipe. Wowing the crowd and judges alike his 92.33 was enough to overtake last year’s Best Trick silver medalist Jackson Strong’s high score of 90.00. Australia’s Rob Adelberg snagged his fourth X Games medal of his career with a bronze medal effort.

Despite an full evening of competitions, for many the night had only just begun as crowds of fans rushed for the all new music venue, The Armory, to feel the chart topping beats of Kaskade, who dropped a lively set to officially wrap day two at X Games Minneapolis 2018.

Stay tuned as action continues on Saturday with completion kicking off mid-day with the Lifeproof Moto X Step Up Final followed by the Toyota Men’s Skateboard Park Final, the SoFi Women’s Skateboard Street Final, the Fruit of the Loom BMX Dirt Final, the Moto X Best Whip Final, the Monster Energy Moto X Best Trick Final and the Skateboard Big Air Final. Activities then climate with a musical performance by Minneapolis’ own Brother Ali and the legendary Ice Cube.