2011 KIA X Games Asia: Andy MacDonald seals the Skateboard Vert with gold
After a real nail-biter, America’s three-time Skateboard Vert Champion, Andy MacDonald added one more gold medal to his collection at the 2011 KIA X Games (KXG) Asia Skateboard Vert final which took place on Monday, May 2 at the Jiangwan Stadium in Shanghai,
China.
The rest of the podium was rounded out by the Brazilians, Sandro Diaz and Bob Burnquist, who walked away with the silver and bronze medal respectively.
With strong winds blowing in the Jiangwan Stadium, the condition could not be regarded as ideal for the final battle between the exciting action sports athletes. However, the skate-boarders managed to adjust to the difficult conditions and put up a determined
fight for the coveted medals. The enthusiastic crowd were eager to watch an intense competition and they definitely did not leave disappointed.
Last year’s Skateboard Vert champion Pierre-Luc Gagnon, also dubbed as PLG, made an early exit from the final after nasty crash in the initial round of the final. With one of the strongest contenders out of the picture, the window of opportunity for other
riders to grab the gold medal was wide open.
While all the riders gave impressive performances, America’s MacDonald manage to outshine the entire field with his consistency and technical tricks. A clean Kick foot 540 in his final run pretty much confirmed his status as the winner. His score of 87.67
in the final run saw him to his fourth KXG gold medal.
While talking to the media later, the 38-year-old said that he was glad to finally break the jinx and win on the Jiangwan Stadium Vert. He explained, “They had changed it to a larger Vert in 2010, and I had to settle for the bronze, which was a huge difference
compared to 2007-09, when I had a stranglehold on the gold.”
Despite being on top of his game, it was not smooth sailing for MacDonald as Brazil’s Diaz had no intention of letting the American walk away with the gold without a fight. The Brazilian rider remained impressive throughout the final, with an impressive
string of tricks in his final run. The run was good enough to get him to the top, but the colour returned to MacDonalds’ face after the judges announced the score and Diaz ended up short by just one point. He had to settle for a silver medal instead.
Brazil’s Burnquist had little hope of passing MacDonald’s top score in the final and had to settle for the bronze with his best score of 84.33.
The podium finishers appreciated the crowd and their enthusiasm. The crowd had created an electrifying atmosphere in the Stadium and cheered for their favourite riders throughout the contest. Both, the riders and the crowd, had the utmost respect for each
other. While the crowd loves to watch the exciting athletes in action, the participants love to perform exceptionally well and impress the crowd.
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