Kennard native Jacob Thiem made his X Games debut Wednesday during the Dave Mirra BMX Best Trick competition in Riverside, Calif.
The Arlington High School graduate, 20, was one of eight competitors in the event, which pitted each rider against each other to perform their best trick. Canadian Mike Vargas earned the gold medal with a 1,260-degree spin, while Thiem took eighth.
The BMX rider, who also wrestled at AHS, was the first competitor up, attempting a 360-degree, quadruple tailwhip. His first try was a close call as he nearly landed it, but fell, hopping back up to his feet quickly.
“What a way to start out the best trick competition,” said Scotty Cranmer, a nine-time X Games medalist and one of the event's broadcasters.
On Thiem's second attempt, his back tire blew. Then, on his third, the former Eagle got his feet back on the pedals, but he couldn't quite complete the trick.
Thiem was described as an “X Games rookie” on the broadcast, which can viewed in full on the X Games YouTube page. In less than two days, more than 57,000 had watched.
