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BMX rider and three-time X Games medalist Pat Casey died Tuesday after crashing while attempting a jump on his motorcycle at a private track in Ramona, California, nicknamed "The Slayground," according to Teri Figueroa and Karen Kucher of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
He was 29.
When paramedics arrived at the scene, Casey had no pulse and was unable to be resuscitated. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
"We are deeply saddened by Pat Casey's passing and our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, children, parents and siblings," the X Games said in a statement. "A true legend in the action sports community, Pat will always be a member of the X Games family and an inspiration to everyone's life he touched."
"The world lost one of the baddest to ever do it," fellow BMX rider T.J. Lavin added on his Instagram page. "I'm so sorry for his wife and kids. [Pat Casey] will forever be remembered for the down to earth sweetheart of a guy that he was."
Casey medaled at both the 2012 and 2013 editions of the X Games before earning his first gold medal at the X Games in 2021.
He also was the first BMX rider to ever pull off the "decade backflip" and "double decade backflip" in competitions.
"Absolutely no words," BMX rider Tyler Fernengel wrote on his Instagram Stories. "I love you so much Pat. You were the first person in the BMX world that took me under their wing and love me and supported me. Living with you and your family was the best times of my life. I will see you soon my brother."
Longtime BMX star Dave Mirra was diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy based on a brain evaluation by a Toronto neuropathologist following his apparent suicide in February.
Alyssa Roenigk of ESPN The Magazine reported that the CTE findings by Dr. Lili-Naz Hazrati, which were similar to those of former football and hockey players, have since been confirmed by other neuropathologists.
The report noted Mirra becomes the first action sports athlete publicly diagnosed with the degenerative disease and included comments from Hazrati about the findings. The results from the BMX rider and those who played violent contact sports were virtually the same.
"I couldn't tell the difference," she told ESPN The Magazine. "The trauma itself defines the disease, not how you got the trauma."
Hazrati added: "It validates what we have been thinking about brain injuries in boxers and football players. The key is brain injury. Regardless of how you get it, through BMX or hockey, you are at risk for this."
Mirra's wife, Lauren, described for ESPN The Magazine the changes she witnessed before his death and what she hopes will come from his diagnosis:
I started to notice changes in his mood. And then it quickly started to get worse. He wasn't able to be present in any situation or conversation, so it was hard to be in a relationship with him to any degree. He was lost. I looked straight through him on a few occasions. And I was like, "Where are you? Where are you? What is wrong?"
This is the beginning of bringing awareness. It would be amazing if this is something we can detect in life one day. If we can detect it, prevent it, stop it, let's do all of the above.
This is merely the latest example of the widespread impact of head injuries in former athletes. Jason M. Breslow of PBS reported last September a study by the Department of Veterans Affairs and Boston University showed 96 percent (87 of 91) of former NFL players studied tested positive for CTE.
Michael Drapack of CBC Sports reported in February that more than 100 former NHL players filed a lawsuit stating the league should have known about the long-term impact of head injuries and failed to educate players about the risk.
Mirra, 41, was found Feb. 4 with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, per Jason Hanna of CNN.
If anyone has ever wondered what it's like to be a pro BMX rider, Nigel Sylvester has you covered.
Thanks to a Sony action camera, the 28-year-old has been able to give fans a glimpse into how much fun bikers have. After previously riding through New York City, he got his wheels and hit the streets (and more) of Los Angeles.
With the setting being Los Angeles, there were a few cameo appearances from celebrities like Rob Dyrdek during his adventure:
Take a few minutes and experience a ride unlike any you have ever had before—unless you watched his New York video, of course.
Police in Greenville, North Carolina, announced BMX legend Dave Mirra died Thursday.
Local authorities are still investigating the incident and noted an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound was the preliminary cause of death.
Shortly before his death, Mirra shared a photo of himself and his wife, Lauren:
"We mourn the loss today of a great friend and wonderful human being who touched the lives of so many around the world with his gift," Greenville Mayor Allen Thomas said. "He called Greenville, North Carolina, home and was as humble a guy talking with kids on a street corner about bikes as he was in his element on the world stage."
The 41-year-old Mirra was a fixture of the X Games as the event was gaining traction in the late 1990s and early 2000s. According to the X Games' official website, he won 14 gold, six silver and four bronze medals. The 24 combined medals are the second-most in X Games history behind Bob Burnquist's 27:
In 2011, Mirra retired from competitive BMX events and transitioned to a full-time rally-racing career with Subaru Rally Team USA. In 2008, Mirra earned a bronze medal in rally-car racing at the X Games.
Mirra was also a crossover star, lending his name to the Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX video game series, which spawned four entries. For a short time, he also served as host of MTV's Real World/Road Rules Challenge.
After months of dry runs on the airbag, pro rider and Nitro Circus affiliate Jed Mildon landed the world's first quadruple BMX backflip at Travis Pastrana's home compound in Davidsonville, Maryland.
Four years in the planning, the jump ended a race between Mildon and fellow rider James Foster to see who could land the trick first.
Mildon completed the four flips after months of ramp tweaking and failed attempts.
Foster wasn't as lucky in his pursuit of the quad, falling prey to injury after some nasty failed jumps. The two had worked together to solve the mysteries of the trick, but Foster was ultimately forced to sit on the sideline as Mildon achieved their goal.
Just how dangerous is the quad flip? Foster spoke to Transworld.net's Jeff Zielinski about the painful process of trying to beat his friend to the punch on the quad.
"My first try I drifted to the side a little and missed the landing because the first landing was not what it needed to be," Foster said. "...I broke two ribs on the second try, and went back six weeks later to try it again, and ended up breaking two more ribs on my first attempt back."
In all, Foster said he broke just about all his ribs trying to land the trick:
Ten broken ribs and a separated shoulder. I broke five ribs on tour with Nitro in Australia right before we were supposed to go back out to Travis’, and re-broke another when I came up short on the airbag landing when I was only 70-80% healed from that injury.
So in case you were thinking about doing anything resembling a BMX backflip, just know that your ribcage quickly becomes forfeit.
Leave the quad flip to the professional crazy people. It's their job.
Dan is on Twitter. Nope.
BMX standout Kyle Bennett was involved in a single-car accident early Sunday morning that took his life.
The Washington Post's Cindy Boren reported the sad news and added that the accident occurred near his home in the Houston, Texas area.
Boren passed along these details of the accident:
[Bennett's] 2006 Toyota Tundra truck, traveling at a high rate of speed, left the road and struck a wrought-iron gate, a culvert and several trees in a residential area, according to the Montgomery County police.
ESPN's Pat Nugent adds the following information:
Bennett was alone in the vehicle, and no other vehicles were involved. Police at the scene reported that Bennett was not wearing his seatbelt when the accident occurred.
Bennett was reportedly responding to a break in of his fiancée's car when the accident happened.
Bennett, 33, became a member of the BMX Hall of Fame this past June, was a member of the 2008 U.S. Olympic team, a three-time UCI world champion and a three-time NBL champion.
After beginning his career in 1999, Bennett retired from the sport in 2012. He was a true pioneer in the sport and a main figure in pushing BMX riding into a new age and growing the sport's popularity.
USA Cycling CEO Steve Johnson released this statement, which comes to us via Yahoo! Sports:
All of us at USA Cycling were deeply saddened to learn this morning of the tragic and untimely loss of Kyle Bennett. Kyle was a pioneer in Olympic BMX and an inspiration to those of us that knew him. He will be sorely missed, and we offer our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones.
I think it goes without saying that this is a huge loss for the BMX world, and Bennett will be dearly missed while his contributions will never be forgotten.
As Boren reports, Bennett leaves behind his fiancee and is survived by his four-year-old daughter.
The X Games in Los Angeles, California are the stage for the greatest extreme sport athletes on the planet.
Unbelievable tricks, death-defying stunts and other miraculous feats will be seen around Downtown L.A. between June 28 and July 1.
Familiar names such as Travis Pastrana, Pierre-Luc Gagnon, Bob Burnquist and Jamie Bestwick will all be competing.
These athletes will hope to be at their best during the biggest extreme sports event of the year.
Follow all the results, medals and highlights right here. To get more X Games, check ESPN’s official results.
Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| Skateboard Big Air Elimination | Bob Burnquist | Mitchie Brusco | Nolan Munroe |
| Moto X Freestyle Final | Taka Higashino | Levi Sherwood | Javier Villegas |
| Women's Skateboard Street Final | Alexis Sablone | Leticia Bufoni | Rachel Reinhard |
| BMX Street Final | Garrett Reynolds | Chad Kerley | Dakota Roche |
| Skateboard Big Air Final | Bob Burnquist | Mitchie Brusco | Nolan Munroe |
| Moto X Best Whip | Jeremy Stenberg | Jarryd McNeil | Todd Potter |
| Moto X Step Up Final | Ronnie Renner | Matt Buyten | Brian Deegan |
| Moto X Best Trick Final | Jackson Strong | Taka Higashino | Cameron Sinclair |
| BMX Park Final | Scotty Cranmer | Ryan Nyquist | Pat Casey |
| Hot Wheels Double Loop Dare | Tanner Foust and Greg Tracy | — | — |
| Game of SK8 | Ryan Decenzo | Ishod Wair | Aaron Homoki |
| Skateboard Park Final | Pedro Barros | Ben Hatchell | Rune Glifberg |
| BMX Vert Final | Jamie Bestwick | Vince Byron | Simon Tabron |
| Women's Moto X Racing Final | Vicki Golden | Tarah Gieger | Livia Lancelot |
| Moto X Speed & Style Final | Mike Mason | Nate Adams | — |
| Skateboard Vert Final | Pierre-Luc Gagnon | Bucky Lasek | Andy Macdonald |
| Skateboard Street Final | Paul Rodriguez | Ryan Sheckler | Nyjah Huston |
| RallyCross Round Final | Sebastian Loeb | Ken Block | Brian Deegan |
| BMX Big Air Final | Steve McCann | Zack Warden | Kevin Robinson |
| Moto X Enduro X Women's Final | Maria Forsberg | Louise Forsley | Chantelle Bykerk |
| Moto X Enduro X Men's Final | Mike Brown | Cody Webb | Cory Graffunder |
Highlights
Bob Burnquist defended his title in Skateboarding Big Air, stomping his third run on Friday.
Despite a hard crash in practice, Burnquist toughed it out, and the results were well worth the pain. He stuck a switch-backside-Ollie-180 over the 70-foot gap, then landed an indy-720-fakie on the 30-foot quarter pipe.
The run earned Burnquist a score of 94.33 and his 22nd career medal at the X Games.
Another action sports legend, Jamie Bestwick continued his dominance in BMX Vert.
After finishing that nasty run above, Bestwick completed the historical six-peat in the event.
BMX has been quite the hot topic on Bleacher Report lately, and especially within the Bleacher Report action sports community.
There is just something about action sports that is so incredibly captivating and exciting.
I have to give credit where credit is due; All the riders, skaters and fans really form quite an admirable and tight-knit community, and it’s something that is felt not only within the sports themselves but also within our site.
In that spirit, and with the X Games in full gear, I think it’s important to highlight accomplishments within the community that may not be under the full bright lights of TV coverage that the X Games get.
Jon Faure of OldGuysWhoRide has acquired another claim to fame, just 12 days before his 47th birthday. Faure set the record for being the oldest rider to clear the 50-foot gap on the Mega Ramp at Woodward West.
Now before we go any further, let me personally admit that I have no idea if I could ever even come close to this accomplishment, so all the respect and admiration in the world goes out to Faure.
I can barely ride my bike down the street without falling and biting a few times, let alone up a ramp and over a 50-foot span of deck, so the fact that Faure even had the guts to do that was quite an accomplishment.
Doing it was a far greater accomplishment, and that is why we are bringing you this video!
Like I said, I would be proud of myself for climbing up a bunk bed without falling and absolutely wrecking myself.
Enjoy the video…and enjoy the X games!
For coverage of the 2011 X games and all the coverage you want on action sports, keep yourself updated with Bleacher Report's action sports page.
Follow Andrew on Twitter: @AKonSports
X Games 17 will kick off in Los Angeles, California today at 3:00 PM (ET). For the viewers watching at home, the first event, Moto X Step Up, will commence at 7:00 PM on ESPN. All of the non-televised events can be viewed online through ESPN3.com. Some of the broadcasting will even be available on ESPN 3D.
For more information, visit ESPN's entire TV and live video schedule or the homepage of the X Games online.
On Thursday, tune in between 8:00 PM and 9:15 PM to watch the Skateboard Park competition. Immediately following that are motorcycle and bicycle challenges you do not want to miss. Starting at 9:15 PM, Moto X Best Trick will get underway. BMX Freestyle Big Air will serve as the conclusion to the fun-filled day and night, ending at 11:00.
On Friday, there will be three substantial X Games 17 events, all back-to-back. From 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM, there will be Moto X Freestyle, BMX Freestyle Vert and Skateboard Big Air events.
Saturday will be the beginning of the second half of the X Games competition. Starting at 2:15 PM, BMX Freestyle Park will get underway, followed by Rally Car Racing at 4:00 PM. The following skateboard events will be televised on ABC: Skateboard Real Street (4:00PM to 4:30 PM) and Skateboard Street Men's (4:30 PM to 6:00 PM). Skateboard Vert and Moto X Speed & Style will end the third day of extreme summer sports.
Sunday (July 31) will be the final day of coverage and the last chance for athletes to earn themselves a medal. At 5:00 PM RallyCross, which is one of the few Rally events, will start. BMX Freestyle Street and Skateboard Game of SK8 will be perhaps among the most interesting sports to watch, so look for those. The men's and women's Moto X Enduro X competitions will both take place from 9:15 PM 11:00 PM.
Look for Travis Pastrana to go for a gold medal in Moto X Best Trick and execute a brand new trick that failed in previous years. But, more importantly, have fun and enjoy the summer games!
