Mirra is Out of X Games 12

The world of action sports always has its ups and downs, and Thursday’s BMX practice was no exception. Just hours before the start of competition, BMX master Dave Mirra took a nasty slam off a jump during one of his practice runs and lacerated his liver; a move that sent him straight to UCLA Medical Center and will prevent him from competing in his 12th straight X Games competition.  While sending a scare through the entire action sports community, the good news is that Mirra is in stable condition and resting comfortably.
 

PHOTO GALLERY Check out the X Games 12 BMX Dirt winners in the Gallery.  VIEW GALLERY >

The most decorated athlete in X Games history with 20 medals including 14 golds, Mirra was expected to be one of the major contenders for X Games 12 and was scheduled to compete in every BMX discipline, including Big Air, Dirt, Park, Vert and Vert Best Trick.  The big questions now are how this injury will affect Mirra in the long run, how long he’ll have to stay off his bike, and how will this affect his performance in the long run.  With the next major BMX competition only a few weeks away, only time will tell what is in store for the Miracle Boy Mirra. 
 
With Mirra unfortunately knocked out of contention, the playing field is totally leveled for the entire BMX landscape and especially in BMX Park, where Mirra swept the competition last year and stole the gold during X Games 11.  Leaving the big names of Scotty Cranmer, Ryan Guettler and Ryan Nyquist left to their own devices, we are sure to see more risks taken during runs and more creative lines now that some of the pressure is off.  As they say, everything happens for a reason, so we’ll just have to wait and see what the future holds in the BMX world for X Games 12.