X Games 13: Bob Burnquist Wins Big Air Gold; Brown Crashes But Takes Second
Aug 04 2007 / Los Angeles, CA
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The top big air skaters in the world squared off at STAPLES Center Thursday on the first night of ESPN X Games 13, where Bob Burnquist narrowly edged out Jake Brown in this evening’s Skateboard Big Air Final. On the very last run of the competition, Burnquist’s spectacular frontside 540° launched him 18.07 feet above the quarterpipe – and it was good enough for the gold.
Brown, who going into his own last run was the Big Air leader, landed an astounding 720° jump over the gap, but then fell as he came down off the quarter pipe. Burnquist made his historic run moments later, as the crowd roared its approval. Soon after the judges granted him a 95.66, a hair better than Brown’s 95.33.
“I really had to focus for my last run and reel all my emotions in,” Burnquist said afterwards.
Also competing in tonight’s final were Rob Lorifice, Pierre-Luc Gagnon, Buster Halterman, and Bucky Lasek; Gagnon’s best mark of 93.00 won him the bronze.
Skateboard Big Air features athletes skating down a 60- or 80-foot roll-in, choosing to launch over a 50’9”- or 70’2”-foot gap, landing and continuing into a 27’3” high quarterpipe. Speeds on the roll-in ramp can reach close to 40 miles per hour. Last year’s gold medalist Danny Way, who is injured and not competing in X Games 13, developed the sport, in which the highest single score wins.
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Skateboard Big Air Final Results
Final standings from the ESPN X Games 13 Skateboard Big Air Final held at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, CA on August 2, 2007.
Name / Hometown / Score
1. Bob Burnquist / Sao Paulo, Brazil / 95.66
2. Jake Brown / Sydney, Australia / 95.33
3. Pierre-Luc Gagnon / Carlsbad, CA / 93.00
4. Buster Halterman / Wellsville, PA / 85.00
5. Bucky Lasek / Baltimore, MD / 83.33
6. Rob Lorifice / Encinitas, CA / 79.33
Skateboard Big Air Selection Coverage:
Lasek Leads Group That Will Meet Brown, Burnquist In Tonight’s Finals
Bucky Lasek led the group of four skaters that qualified to move on to tonight’s Skateboard Big Air Finals, where they will battle Jake Brown and Bob Burnquist for ESPN X Games 13 gold.
Last year’s Big Air winner Danny Way, a three-time consecutive gold medalist in the event (in X Games 10, 11 and 12) is not competing due to injury. Brown and Burnquist won silver and bronze respectively in last year’s Big Air Finals, granting them the top two slots in tonight’s final.
Lasek, who has earned a total of 11 lifetime X Games medals, has had more career success in the Vert Men’s competition, where he’s won four gold medals. He last competed in Big Air in 2005 and finished in fourth place.
For the first time this year, 60 linear feet of the Big Air downramp is suspended from the ceiling at STAPLES Center. The Big Air ramp contains over 15,000 screws and 60,000 pounds of metal and took a full five days to build.
The Skateboard Big Air Final begins at 5:00 p.m. PT at STAPLES Center.
The standings going into the finals are:
1. Jake Brown / Sydney, Australia
2. Bob Burnquist / Sao Paulo, Brazil
3. Bucky Lasek / Baltimore, Maryland
4. Buster Halterman / Wellsville, Pennsylvania
5. Pierre-Luc Gagnon / Carlsbad, California
6. Rob Lorifice / Encinitas, California
--Press Release
