Los Angeles – With Skateboard Big Air Rail Jam making its X Games debut, it’s only fitting that Big Air pioneer Danny Way would usher the event into the history books with a gold medal.

Nursing a pre-existing leg injury that forced him to drop in while riding switch, nearly twenty-three minutes elapsed before Way hit a successful landing for a 92.00 score. Notching his first gold medal since 2006, the skateboard icon reiterated afterward why he was so determined to overcome the pain and compete.

“I have a passion for skateboarding,” said Way. “It’s a fire that’s burning and it doesn’t go out. I love skateboarding and I’ve been doing it my whole life”

Bob Burnquist followed up a Big Air silver medal performance 24 hours earlier with another second place finish (89.00), but like all his fellow riders, spoke mostly afterward about his respect for Way.

“It’s 30 minutes. Danny can hold the pain that long and put something down,” affirmed Burnquist. “This is the first rail jam. He came up with the obstacle. He was gonna skate no matter what.”

Battling back and forth with Adam Taylor for third place, Rob Lorifice’s eventually retained the lead with an 88.33 score. This marked Lorifice’s second bronze medal of X Games 15.

Courtesy Espn

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