Local BMX rider wins Gold for Scotland at Sydney X Games

Freestyle BMX street rider Alex Donnachie, who attended Perth Academy, has become the first ever Scot to win a medal at the prestigious X Games action sports contest. 

The X Games are an annual extreme sports event - it's essentially the Olympics for extreme sports. Summer games include motorbiking, BMX, skateboarding and wakeboarding and they have been hosted in cities worldwide, from Barcelona, to Foz do Iguaçu, to San Francisco. 

With DJ's and music acts playing - past line-ups have included acts such as a LCD Soundsystem and Lil Yachty - and being the site of the first documented '900' by Tony Hawk himself in 1999, the X Games undoubtedly boast an enviable "cool" factor.

GALLERY

Travelling all the way to Sydney, Australia to compete, Alex secured his Gold medal with a winning run score of 84.33. Incredibly, he has not long recovered from a serious ACL injury;

"I tore my ACL in September of last year, had surgery in December, and did seven months of physical therapy.”

This didn’t deter Alex from competing, and he flew out to the contest after being back on his bike for only 2 months. His winning run can be viewed below:

Since BMX street is a fringe sport, not featured in the Olympic or Commonwealth Games, the X Games serve as one of the most important competitions of the year. Alex has become one of only 3 people to win gold in this particular event, which is usually dominated by the American favourite, Garrett Reynolds. 

Alex has become one of only 3 people to win gold in this particular event, which is usually dominated by the American favourite, Garrett Reynolds. 

This high point in Alex’s career comes 10 years after his days riding Perth skatepark after school. Built in 2003, the park served as an area for Alex to cut his teeth and develop the skills he needed for last week’s big win. From this time onwards, Alex has been producing a series of DVDs called “Nearly”, promoting Scotland’s thriving BMX scene. Filmed a decade ago, this section from the first Nearly video shows a young Alex Donnachie developing his talent. Keen viewers will notice a few locations from around Perthshire!

A big congratulations from all of us at Small City, Alex!