The courageous Colten Moore competed in the 2014 Winter X Games Snowmobile Freestyle on Thursday and captured the gold medal. The 24-year-old's score of 91.33 on the opening run was enough to garner the top prize in Aspen, Colo.
But this victory meant so much more than the hardware Moore collected.
He produced a winning effort at the site of his brother Caleb's fatal accident last year, which marked the first death in X Games history. Moore was able to honor his late brother's memory by emerging as a champion."This is the greatest moment ever, to be able to come back and ride for my brother," Moore said. "And not just for him, but with him, because I know he was out here with me all night. To be able to come out here and get gold is unbelievable. I just give it all to him. I know he was the one helping me do everything I was doing. ... It's what me and Caleb grew up doing, pushing each other to go for it. I just knew that he'd be riding with me."
Moore's father, Wade Moore, was watching just off the course, wearing a No. 31 hat in honor of Caleb Moore's bib number.It means everything," Wade Moore said, watching as his son took a victory lap. "He just wanted to ride, that's what he likes doing, he has fun doing it. That's all he and his brother did, and they're still doing it together, I promise they are."It was a dream the brothers shared. Natives of Krum, Texas, they grew up competing on all-terrain vehicles. Together, they came to Aspen in 2010 to pursue X Games gold.
After Colten became the first rider to win two gold medals, Texas flags waved. Dozens of friends and family decked out in clothes to honor the eldest Moore brother — #31 Caleb Moore stitched in their hats — surrounded Colten for photos. It was an emotional reminder that while Caleb was not there, he was not gone.
"To come here doing what we always came here to do is to dominate, I know he'd be super pumped," Moore said. "To come here and get gold for him, I couldn't ask for anymore."
No comments:
Post a Comment