BMX riders Daniel Dhers and Jamie Bestwick have won just about every contest they’ve entered this season, so it’s no surprise to find the two dominating at one of the year’s final events, the LG Action Sports World Championships.

In the BMX Street finals, Daniel Dhers followed up his Dew Cup and X Games wins with another top finish, edging Rob Darden (who finished second) and Dennis Enarson (bronze winner) to capture the gold.  Both of Dhers’ run were higher than Darden and Enarson, who actually tied with a 90.00 in second.  The tie-breaker went to Darden thanks to his second score being higher.  Dhers took home $30K for the win.

“I always want to do a good first run.  But tonight I realized it’s been a long time since I’ve done two good runs, so I went out there to do it, and it worked.”  Dhers said after the contest.

Jamie Bestwick also continued his winning ways in BMX Vert, following up his Dew Cup and X Games win with a gold, followed by Chad Kagy in second and Simon Tabron in third — his usual set of podium mates.

“I just enjoy riding bikes,” Bestwick said after of his success this season.  “I gave up everything – my job, my family, my country – to come here and compete, and that’s what drives me to keep on pushing.”

For more about the event, check out the official site.  You can also keep reading for the official release from Saturday that includes inline and skate vert prelim results.

BESTWICK, DHERS, DOWNING AND MORALES WIN GOLD AT LG ACTION SPORTS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Stage is set for a Repeat in Skateboard Vert

SEATTLE, Wash. (November 1, 2008) – Day two of the LG Action Sports World Championships brought the pros of BMX Vert, BMX Street, Men’s and Women’s Inline Street Skating, as well as Skateboard Vert to the fans and made them jump to their feet in celebration as the athletes laid down some of the most spectacular runs of the season. The year’s most dominant stars in BMX Vert and BMX Street, Jamie Bestwick (Darby, England) and Daniel Dhers (Caracas, Venezuela) respectively, continued their winning ways in 2008 and captured the gold medal in their disciplines, as Jenna Downing (Barnsley, England) and Franky Morales (Miami Beach, Fla.), took the gold in Inline Skating Street.  Skateboard Vert also saw the usual suspects finish the Prelims at the top of the heap, with Pierre-Luc Gagnon (Montreal, Canada) leading the way.

The afternoon began with the Skateboard Vert Prelims and a 16-man field that needed to be whittled to eight for the Sunday afternoon Finals.  The tops stars were in play, giving their best in an attempt to advance to the Finals.  By the round’s end, Gagnon, Sandro Dias (Santo Andre, Brazil), Bucky Lasek (Baltimore, Maryland), Danny Mayer (Omaha, Nebraska), Alex Perelson (San Diego, Calif.), Andy Macdonald (San Diego, Calif.), Buster Halterman (Wellsville, Penn.) and Marcelo Bastos (Sao Paulo, Brazil) had advanced.  On what can only be characterized as a ‘steam roll’, Gagnon comes in as the event’s defending champion and is looking to cap the season with a second consecutive LG World Champion title.

Daniel Dhers has also been rolling through all of 2008 in the Gold medal position and continued to do so today, decisively winning the BMX Street contest with two runs that far exceeded the competition.  He pushed himself to the end, even bettering his first round score with his second run.

“I always want to do a good first run.  But tonight I realized it’s been a long time since I’ve done two good runs, so I went out there to do it, and it worked.”

The Silver and Bronze medals went to Rob Darden (Greenville, NC) and Dennis Enarson (San Diego, Calif.) in a tiebreaker.  Both men produced 90.00 point runs, but Darden turned in an 89.50 point first run, which bested Enarson’s additional run by one point, thereby breaking the tie and securing him second place.

Clearly another highlight of the evening was Jamie Bestwick’s (Darby, England) winning performance in the BMX Vert contest.  Bestwick rode to his 5th LG World Championship title in six years.  He’s captured the BMX Vert Gold at every LG World Championships he’s attended, missing out on the title in 2006, the only year he did not participate.  He soared above the ramp tonight in what was described by announcers as “BMX insanity”, winning the contest with his first run.

“It feels great,” said Bestwick, describing his success.  “This Seattle stop is a great one for the ASA [Entertainment] Action Sports World Tour.  This event is a lot of fun.  There’s a lot of nerves beforehand and everyone is on edge, but it brings out the best in us.”

Bestwick’s domination in BMX has been virtually complete in 2008 with him capturing nearly every major title this year.  When asked what he attributes it to, he commented, “I just enjoy riding bikes.  I gave up everything – my job, my family, my country – to come here and compete, and that’s what drives me to keep on pushing.”

The Silver medal in BMX Vert went to crowd-pleaser Chad Kagy (Gilroy, Calif.), and Simon Tabron (Newquay, England) received the Bronze medal.

The Inline Skating Street competitions were a definite treat for fans, thrilling the crowds with the creativity and daring of the athletes’ skill and talent.  Fallon Heffernan (Jacksonville Beach, Fla.), entered the women’s competition as the leader from Friday’s Prelims, but Jenna Downing landed every trick she attempted in the Finals and solidly rode away with the Gold medal.  Heffernan came in second; Fabiola da Silva (Sao Paulo, Brazil) came in third.

“Unbelievable” best describes the men’s Inline Skating Street competition where the athletes pushed the limits of not only themselves, but also the course boundaries.  Nineteen year-old David Sizemore (Atlanta, Georgia) back-flipped off the hitching posts and Franky Morales used the neighboring Vert ramp to jump into the Street course, while performing a 540 spin before landing smoothly to the crowds’ cheers in amazement.  Not to be outdone, Stephane Alfano (Frejus, France) also launched himself from the Vert ramp, landing a 540 spin as well after two attempts.  With just a couple of minutes left to the session, Morales once again jumped from the Vert ramp, spinning through a 900, but failed to execute a successful landing.  Nevertheless, after the judges tallied the scores in what was one of the toughest decisions of the evening, Morales came out the winner.

“I was just trying to win,” said Morales when asked how he came up with jumping from the Vert ramp.  “I was trying to do something big, and I saw the ramp – it’s what’s big in here – and I said, ‘That’s it.’”  The Silver medal went to Alfano, and Sizemore accepted the Bronze.
The LG Action Sports World Championships resumes Sunday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. featuring a day of skateboarding contests.  Skateboard Street Prelims start at 2:00 p.m., followed by Skateboard Vert Finals and Skateboard Street Finals thereafter. Hoobastank will entertain the crowd to cap the weekend’s activities.

The LG Action Sports World Championships is an ASA Entertainment production.

Skateboard Vert Prelims Results:
1) Pierre-Luc Gagnon (Montreal, Canada)
2) Sandro Dias (Santo Andre, Brazil)
3) Bucky Lasek (Baltimore, Maryland)
4) Danny Mayer (Omaha, Nebraska)
5) Alex Perelson (San Diego, Calif.)
6) Andy Macdonald (San Diego, Calif.)
7) Buster Halterman (Wellsville, Penn.)
Marcelo Bastos (Sao Paulo, Brazil)
9) Adam Taylor (Cocoa Beach, Fla.)
10) Jean Postec (Annecy, France)
11) Anthony Furlong (Tampa, Fla.)
12) Neal Hendrix (Costa Mesa, Calif.)
13) Josh Stafford (San Diego, Calif.)
14) Elliot Sloan (New York, New York)
15) Joe Gratzer (Pocatello, Idaho)
16) Lincoln Ueda (Sao Paulo, Brazil)

BMX Vert Finals Results:
1) Jamie Bestwick (Darby, England)
2) Chad Kagy (Gilroy, Calif.)
3) Simon Tabron (Newquay, England)
4) Steven McCann (Melbourne, Australia)
5) Jimmy Walker (Gilberts, Illinois)
6) Francisco Zurita (Santiago, Chile)
7) Zack Warden (Ofallon, Illinois)
John Parker (State College, Penn.)
9) Jay Eggleston (Denver, Colo.)
10) Koji Kraft (Addison, Illinois)
11) Austin Coleman (Los Angeles, Calif.)
12) Jorge Jovel (Tela, Honduras)
13) Ben Snowden (Hornell, New York)

BMX Street Finals Results:
1) Daniel Dhers (Caracas, Venezuela)
2) Rob Darden (Greenville, NC)
3) Dennis Enarson (San Diego, Calif.)
4) Allan Cooke (Greenville, NC)
5) Anthony Napolitan (Youngstown, Ohio)
6) Gary Young (San Diego, Calif.)
7) Kevin Kiraly (Livermore, Calif.)
Morgan Wade (Tyler, Texas)

Inline Street Finals Results:
1) Franky Morales (Miami, Fla.)
2) Stephane Alfano (Frejus, France)
3) David Sizemore (Atlanta, Georgia)
4) Brian Aragon (Brighton, Colo.)
5) Chaz Sands (Glascow, Scotland)
6) Brian Shima (Redwood City, Calif.)

Women’s Inline Street Finals Results:
1) Jenna Downing (Barnsley, England)
2) Fallon Heffernan (Jacksonville Beach, Fla.)
3) Fabiola da Silva (Sao Paulo, Brazil)
4) Chynna Weierstall (Roseville, MI).

Daniel Dhers came into Sunday trying to be the only athlete left who had a perfect record this season on the Dew Tour (FMX notwithstanding) and Mike Spinner did his best to change that.  But in the end, it wasn’t only Dhers on top again, but for the second month in a row, he was followed by Spinner then Rob Darden, who edged Steve McCann for third place.

With Dhers securing his third-straight win, he keeps his hopes alive for winning all five AST Dew Tour stops this season.  Last year he lost in Portland and Salt Lake City before closing out the season with a win in Orlando and winning his second-straight Dew Cup title.

Here are the final results…

BMX Park Final Results – Wendy’s Invitational
August 24, 2008 – Portland, OR

1st – Dhers, Daniel – 93.83
2nd – Spinner, Mike – 92.67
3rd – Darden, Rob – 91.33
4th – McCann, Steven – 90.33
5th – Enarson, Dennis – 89.33
6th – Nyquist, Ryan – 89.17
7th – Napolitan, Anthony – 89.00
8th – Canina, Diogo – 88.00
9th – Mast, Craig – 87.67
10th – Reynolds, Garrett – 86.33
11th – Dosch, Brandon – 84.00
12th – Klinger, Seth – 83.33

Dhers remains perfect in AST competition with BMX park win at Wendy’s Invitational

PORTLAND, Ore., – Daniel Dhers continued his bid for a fourth consecutive Dew Cup and defeated defending event champion Mike Spinner Sunday in the Wendy’s Invitational.

Dhers took the lead from Spinner in his flawless first run which included a 720 into a flair, a can can 720, and a 360 tailwhip transfer, to finish with a 93.83 score. Spinner attempted to knock Dhers out of the lead on his second run, but his feet slipped off the pedals when landing a triple tailwhip. He finished second at 92.67 and Rob Darden, of Greenville, N.C. was third at 91.33.

“I like to win contests but I thought winning in Portland would be redemption,” Dhers said, who battled injuries at this event in the previous two years. “Spinner has been up in the mix for a while. So, after he did his first run I was like, ‘OK, I’m up for the challenge.’”

Spinner’s first run included a triple tailwhip on the quarterpipe, a 1080, a 540 tailwhip and a quad whip.

Dhers has won eight of the 10 contests he has entered this year, including every stop of the AST Dew Tour. He said his goal is to win all five stops of the tour.

AST Dew Tour: Dew Cup Current Standings
BMX Park Points

1. Daniel Dhers, 300
2. Mike Spinner, 245
3. Rob Darden, 195
4. Steven McCann, 193
5. Ryan Nyquist, 191
6. Dennis Enarson, 155
7. Garrett Reynolds, 146
8. Craig Mast, 146
9. Marcus Tooker, 129
10. Ryan Guettler, 124

Missing the cut were Dave Mirra, Ryan Guettler and Morgan Wade, who took the 10th spot.

Keep reading for the final results.

BMX Park Final Results – Wendy’s Invitational
August 23, 2008 – Portland, OR

1st – Darden, Rob – 91.50
2nd – Napolitan, Anthony – 91.00
3rd – Dosch, Brandon – 90.17
4th – Enarson, Dennis – 89.50
5th – McCann, Steven – 89.33
6th – Canina, Diogo – 89.00
7th – Reynolds, Garrett – 88.83
8th – Mast, Craig – 88.33
9th – Klinger, Seth – 88.17
10th – Wade, Morgan – 88.00
11th – Young, Gary – 87.67
12th – Tooker, Marcus – 87.33
13th – Cooke, Allan – 87.33
14th – Whitton, Alistair – 87.17
15th – Coleman, Austin – 86.67
16th – Bezanson, Drew – 85.67
17th – Foster, James – 85.50
18th – Mackay, Colin – 85.33
19th – Mirra, Dave – 84.67
20th – Perry, Joshua – 84.17
21st – Barbero, Alessandro – 84.00
22nd – Hunt, Brian – 83.83
23rd – Wirch, Scott – 83.67
24th – Sieg, Dan – 83.33
25th – Smith, Jeremiah – 83.17
26th – Toohey, Jaie – 80.00
27th – Thompson, William – 79.83
28th – Laird, Mike – 78.00
29th – Kiraly, Kevin – 76.33
30th – Guettler, Ryan – 75.67
31st – Watkinson, Anthony – 72.00
32nd – Harrington, Josh – 70.00

Dhers | cr. BRIAN BRANTLEY/SHAZAMM/ESPN IMAGES

There’s no doubting Daniel Dhers’ domination of the park scene over the last three years — something he proved last years by securing his first Park gold at X Games 13.  But this year the park course was replaced by the tight “Superpark” format and that threw many established park riders for a loop.  Dhers, who is known for his ability to adapt, did it again and managed to qualify in first.

Saturday he showed it wasn’t a fluke by dominating the finals, which was scored in a new format that gave each rider three 30-second runs which then were totaled up.  Dhers had the highest-scoring run each time and easily edged Diogo Canina, who won the BMX Big Air Triples event last week in Orange County.  Rob Darden continued his hot streak with a third-place finish with Ryan Guettler coming in fourth.

Dhers was among the riders criticizing the new course before the qualifiers took place but his success in adapting to the tight confines softened his opinion.

“I didn’t swim this far to sink at the shore,”  he said.

Keep reading for more about the finals and for full results.

Venezuelan Rider Daniel Dhers Is Untouchable
Dhers Wins Second X Games Gold Medal in First Ever BMX SuperPark Competition

LOS ANGELES- The action is swelling on the third day of X Games 14 as the BMX Freestyle SuperPark Finalists took to the distinctive course. The field started with 10 riders and was narrowed down to the top five in round one.

The top five moved on to the final, but it was apparent from the get-go that Dhers was going to be the man to beat. Dhers showed up to the SuperPark this year already with an X Games gold medal in his pocket from last year’s BMX Freestyle Park competition.

Each rider was given three 30 second runs, each one judged separately. The rider at the end of the competition with the most points was the winner. After an overwhelmingly technical and exciting performance out of Dhers, including a 540 bar spin, it was clear that he had swept the competition.

“I get to go to sleep happy tonight,” Dhers said with a smile. “I’ve been wanting this gold medal for the past year and now I have it. It’s as rewarding as winning the gold last year. It’s always awesome to win a competition like the X Games.”

The astonishing medalist from the BMX Freestyle SuperPark final today was second place finisher Diogo Canina, who until last week was not even sure if he was going to make the trip out to the X Games from his home country of Brazil.

“I didn’t even think I was ready for this competition. Winning silver is like gold to me with a competition like the X Games,” Canina proclaimed excitedly. “This past week here was the greatest week of my BMX career.”

Perhaps having the most fun on the SuperPark course was third place finisher Rob Darden. Darden utilized the entire course completing multiple transfers from the quarterpipe to the box set and rallying through the bowl corners at mock speed.

“I always liked to go fast as a kid,” Darden grinned. “I felt like a kid in there. It was awesome.”

BMX FEESTYLE SUPERPARK FINAL RESULTS
Results from ESPN X GAMES 14 at The Home Center in Carson, Calf. on Saturday, August 2, 2008. (Final Standings)

Name / Hometown / Score

1. Daniel Dhers / Caracas, Venezuela / 101
2. Diogo Canina / Amparo, Brazil / 90
3. Rob Darden / Greenville, N.C. / 85
4. Ryan Guettler / Beenleigh, Australia / 82
5. Gary Young / San Diego, Calif. / 61
6. Chase Hawk / Austin, Texas / 81
7. Alistair Whitton / Chester, Great Britain / 79
8. Dennis Enarson / San Diego, Calif. / 75
9. Corey Bohan / Brisbane, Austrailia / 60
10. Morgan Wade / Tyler, Texas / 59

Rob Darden, Austin Coleman and TJ Ellis led the field for the second round of qualifying for the Big-Air BMX Triples in Orange County Wednesday night.  The field of 12 is set for tonight’s final, including Ricardo Laguna, Koji Kraft and Josh Stead, in addition to those who qualified Tuesday night.

Read on for the official press release from the night’s action and stay tuned for the results from the final.

Big Air BMX Triples Thrills Southern California Fans with Gravity-Defying Round Two Action
Rob Darden Wins Preliminary Round Two

LOS ANGELES (July 30, 2008) – Tonight’s second round of ASA Entertainment’s Big-Air BMX Triples included a “double back flip”, a few “front flips”, a “360° double tail whip”, and several “720°s” on the way to Rob Darden (Greenville, NC), winning preliminary round two and collecting $1000.  The night’s top three riders, Darden, Austin Coleman (Los Angeles, Calif.), T.J. Ellis (Moreno Valley, Calif.), performed a variety of tricks that displayed the progression in BMX jumping and shocked the crowd into amazed silence.  At evening’s end, it was Darden’s clean, confident, consistent execution of big-air stunts that surpassed even the wildest combination of aerobatics attempted by Coleman and Ellis and left everyone eagerly awaiting Sunday’s finals.

Before Darden, Coleman and Ellis battled for the night’s top performance, three other men qualified earlier in the evening to join them in Thursday’s event finals. Mexico’s Ricardo Laguna, Illinois’ Koji Kraft, and Australia’s Josh Stead bested their head-to-head opponent to receive a spot in the final round of the Big-Air BMX Triples.

On Thursday evening, Darden, Coleman, Ellis, Laguna, Kraft and Stead will be joined by round one qualifiers Sean Logan (San Clemente, Calif.), Alistair Whitton (Chester, England), Ricky Moseley (Mason, Tenn.), Pat Casey (Placentia, Calif.), Tony Campos (San Francisco, Calif.), and Diogo Canina (Sao Paulo, Brazil), to compete for the $5,000 first place purse and two spots in the LG Action Sports World Championships.

The battle begins at 8:15 p.m. at the Orange County Fair’s Action Sports Arena.  Reserved seats can be purchased via Ticketmaster.com for as little at $12.50, while limited General Admission seats are free, offered on a first come first served basis.

CBS Sports will feature highlights of the Big Air BMX Triples event later this year during ASA Entertainment’s Action Sports World Tour programming.  Please check your local listings and stay tuned to www.bmxtriples.com for more details.

Full Results From Tuesday and Wednesday

The following are the results from Round Two (Wednesday Night). Top Six from head to head competition advance to Thursday’s final, along with the top six from Round One on Tuesday.
Quarter-Final:

Loren LaVerne vs. Ricardo Laguna
Winner: Ricardo Laguna

Mike Moura vs. Rob Darden
Winner: Rob Darden

Chris Hughes vs. TJ Ellis
Winner: TJ Ellis

Thomas Hancock vs. Koji Kraft
Winner: Koji Kraft

Josh Stead vs. Ben Snowden
Winner: Josh Stead

Dillon Stark vs. Austin Coleman
Winner: Austin Coleman

Semi-Final:

Ricardo Laguna vs. Rob Darden
Winner: Rob Darden

TJ Ellis vs. Koji Kraft
Winner: TJ Ellis

Josh Stead vs. Austin Coleman
Winner: Austin Coleman

Final:
Rob Darden vs. TJ Ellis vs. Austin Coleman
Winner: Rob Darden, Second: Austin Coleman, Third: TJ Ellis

Ricardo Laguna, Rob Darden, TJ Ellis, Koji Kraft, Josh Stead, and Austin Coleman move on to the final event on Thursday, joined by the top six from Tuesday nights Preliminary Round: Diogo Canina, Sean Logan, Rick Mosely, Tony Campos, Pat Casey, and Alistair Whitton.

The following are the results from Round One (Tuesday Night). Top Six from head to head competition advance to Thursday’s final, along with the top six from Round Two on Wednesday.

Quarter-Final:

Erik Soto vs. Sean Logan
Winner: Sean Logan

Dan Norvell vs. Alistair Whitton
Winner: Alistair Whitton

Ricky Moseley vs. Alfredo Mancuso
Winner: Ricky Moseley

Pat Casey vs. Michael Clark
Winner: Pat Casey

Tony Campos vs. Cory Walters
Winner: Tony Campos

Lance Harness vs. Diogo Canina
Winner: Diogo Canina

Semi-Final:
Alistair Whitton vs. Sean Logan
Winner: Sean Logan

Rick Mosely vs. Pat Casey
Winner: Rick Mosely

Tony Campos vs. Diogo Canina
Winner: Diogo Canina

Final:
Rick Mosely vs. Sean Logan vs. Diogo Canina
Winner: Diogo Canina, Second: Sean Logan, Third: Rick Mosely

Diogo Canina, Sean Logan, Rick Mosely, Tony Campos, Pat Casey, and Alistair Whitton move on to the final event on Thursday, joined by the top six from Wednesday nights Preliminary Round.

Daniel Dhers has won the BMX Park finals at the second stop of the AST Dew Tour at the Right Guard Open in Cleveland, OH.  Dhers held off Mike Spinner, who came close but could not catch up with his second run of 91.17.  The score was good enough to give Spinner a tie-breaker over Rob Darden, who had the same score and ended up in third.

It was a tight contest, with eight of the 12 riders scoring 90 or above in scoring.  In addition for the tie in second-place, Garrett Reynolds and Ryan Nyquist tied for fourth with Reynolds getting the tiebreaker and Drew Bezanson and Craig Mast tied for sixth, with Bezanson getting the edge.  In the even of a tie, the rider with the higher score on his second run gets the advantage.

One of the contest favorites, Ryan Guettler, crashed during his first run while attempting a 1080.  He landed on his face and received multiple injuries, though none are expected to be serious.  However, he could not take to the course for his second run and ended up in 12th place.

BMX Park Finals – 2008 Right Guard Open
July 20, 2008 – Cleveland, OH

1st – Dhers, Daniel – 92.67
2nd – Spinner, Mike – 91.17
3rd – Darden, Rob – 91.17
4th – Reynolds, Garrett – 90.67
5th – Nyquist, Ryan – 90.67
6th – Bezanson, Drew – 90.33
7th – Mast, Craig – 90.33
8th – McCann, Steven – 90.00
9th – Tooker, Marcus – 89.83
10th – Barbero, Alessandro – 87.83
11th – Foster, James – 86.83
12th – Guettler, Ryan – 80.50