Dave Mirra is one of the most decorated athletes in X Games history, and his early domination of the BMX ranks began in the late '90s with high placings in both BMX Park and BMX Vert. Mirra gold medal'd in both Park and Vert in 1997, followed by another Park win in 1998. He's since expanded his horizons to include BMX Big Air, and more recently, RallyCross. Consider Mirra a '90s turkey.
Flatland was introduced to the X Games in 1997, and the early favorite was GT's Trevor Meyer. Meyer's ability to nail some of the toughest flatland combinations with robotic precision under contest pressure earned him the first X Games gold medals in flatland for the first three years of the event. Meyer turkey'd in 1999.
While Trevor Meyer was precise and calculated, Finland's Martti Kuoppa was risky and innovative. After Meyer won gold three years in a row, a seasoned Kuoppa emerged in 2000 to take the gold medal in X Games flatland for the next three years. He turkey'd in 2002.
Like Dave Mirra, his Haro teammate at the time, Ryan Nyquist, was one of the few BMX riders on the scene that took on double duty at the X Games, riding both BMX Dirt and Park. Nyquist's turkey quest began in 2002 with a gold medal in Park, followed by two more gold medals in 2003 in both Park and Dirt. A decade later, he is still considered one of the top contenders on the BMX Park circuit.
Australian Corey Bohan came onto the U.S. dirt scene in the early '00s, and combined effortless style with unique combinations and the ability to spin in both directions with ease. Bohan began his X Games quest for gold in 2004, and by 2006, he was still on the top of the podium. Bohan remains the last rider to claim gold at an X Games competition. Actually, the last three.
Kevin Robinson's appearance in the turkey list is a bit of an anomaly. He doubled up in 2006, winning gold in Vert Best Trick (with an unreal double flair) and BMX Big Air. The next year, Robinson returned to take his third gold medal in a row in BMX Big Air. To date, no other rider has pulled a double flair in X Games competition, and it helped add K. Rob to the turkey list in 2007.
When BMX Street was introduced to X Games in 2008, Garrett Reynolds took early win. In the five years to follow, Reynolds' continued his domination of the BMX Street ranks, earning a gold medal in every BMX Street event at X Games to date. He turkey'd with ease in 2010.
When Jamie Bestwick first came onto the X Games BMX Vert scene, he battled the likes of Dave Mirra, Mat Hoffman and Jay Miron and earned top five placings, followed by gold medals. But t wasn't until 2007 when Bestwick began his quest for total vert domination. From 2007 through the present, no one has been able to beat Bestwick in an X Games vert comp. He turkey'd in 2009, then re-turkey'd in 2012.
Go behind the scenes with Nyjah Huston's shoot for ESPN The Magazine in Barcelona, Spain
From triumphant victories to the streets of Spain, these are the best images of X Games Barcelona
U.S. Freeskiing and Snowboarding teams gather for a spring training camp at Mammoth Mountain, Calif.
View the gallery again.
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Dave Mirra is one of the most decorated athletes in X Games history, and his early domination of the BMX ranks began in the late '90s with high placings in both BMX Park and BMX Vert. Mirra gold medal'd in both Park and Vert in 1997, followed by another Park win in 1998. He's since expanded his horizons to include BMX Big Air, and more recently, RallyCross. Consider Mirra a '90s turkey.
Flatland was introduced to the X Games in 1997, and the early favorite was GT's Trevor Meyer. Meyer's ability to nail some of the toughest flatland combinations with robotic precision under contest pressure earned him the first X Games gold medals in flatland for the first three years of the event. Meyer turkey'd in 1999.
While Trevor Meyer was precise and calculated, Finland's Martti Kuoppa was risky and innovative. After Meyer won gold three years in a row, a seasoned Kuoppa emerged in 2000 to take the gold medal in X Games flatland for the next three years. He turkey'd in 2002.
Like Dave Mirra, his Haro teammate at the time, Ryan Nyquist, was one of the few BMX riders on the scene that took on double duty at the X Games, riding both BMX Dirt and Park. Nyquist's turkey quest began in 2002 with a gold medal in Park, followed by two more gold medals in 2003 in both Park and Dirt. A decade later, he is still considered one of the top contenders on the BMX Park circuit.
Australian Corey Bohan came onto the U.S. dirt scene in the early '00s, and combined effortless style with unique combinations and the ability to spin in both directions with ease. Bohan began his X Games quest for gold in 2004, and by 2006, he was still on the top of the podium. Bohan remains the last rider to claim gold at an X Games competition. Actually, the last three.
Kevin Robinson's appearance in the turkey list is a bit of an anomaly. He doubled up in 2006, winning gold in Vert Best Trick (with an unreal double flair) and BMX Big Air. The next year, Robinson returned to take his third gold medal in a row in BMX Big Air. To date, no other rider has pulled a double flair in X Games competition, and it helped add K. Rob to the turkey list in 2007.
When BMX Street was introduced to X Games in 2008, Garrett Reynolds took early win. In the five years to follow, Reynolds' continued his domination of the BMX Street ranks, earning a gold medal in every BMX Street event at X Games to date. He turkey'd with ease in 2010.
When Jamie Bestwick first came onto the X Games BMX Vert scene, he battled the likes of Dave Mirra, Mat Hoffman and Jay Miron and earned top five placings, followed by gold medals. But t wasn't until 2007 when Bestwick began his quest for total vert domination. From 2007 through the present, no one has been able to beat Bestwick in an X Games vert comp. He turkey'd in 2009, then re-turkey'd in 2012.
