Sherwood wins second X-Fighters stop for 2014

The 22-year-old from Palmerston North, New Zealand’s Levi Sherwood, is proving to be unstoppable this year, as he claimed his second consecutive Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour Victory in Osaka, Japan, over the weekend. He won the season opener in Mexico City, before dominating the battle at Osaka Castle with runs that were nearly flawless. Rémi Bizouard of France earned second-place honours, with Dany Torres of Spain finishing in third.

The spectators, including taiko drummers as well as fans in manga-style costumes, were closer to the action than at any other stop in the series. Home-town hero, Taka Higashino, who in 2013 won the Osaka event and finished in third place for the season, earned eighth place after skipping Qualifying, due to injury.

A smiling Sherwood, who despite his young age is associated with perfecting the traditional style of classic FMX riding, said, “I like to push the riding part of freestyle – in FMX you have to both ride a bike and do big tricks. Where I want to see FMX go is really pushing riding skills and course design.” He added, “I’m stoked right now. You can see the love of freestyle here in Japan.”

France’s Thomas Pagès did not feel comfortable on the course and decided to sit out today’s competition, feeling that due to his riding style and the level of difficulty of his unique tricks, for him the risk of injury could be too high.

The riders’ next chance to earn points toward the Overall title will come on June 27, when the series returns to the iconic Las Ventas bullring in Madrid, Spain.