There was no doubt that Ricky Carmichael had the best high-jumping ability today at Qualcomm Stadium. But the landing… was a problem.
After clearing a height of 35 feet, which not even winner Matt Buyten cleared, Carmichael smacked his chin on the bar on the landing, and bounced himself over the bars. Since he didn’t have a clean landing, judges didn’t count the run. And with his chin busted open, he couldn’t complete another attempt. The judges announced their ruling to a chorus of boos from the crowd who felt that Carmichael should have been awarded the win.
From there, the competition was whittled down to two riders, last year’s X Games gold medalist Ronnie Renner, and another former X Games Step Up winner, Matt Buyten. Neither could clear the jump at 35 feet, so judges decided to give both competitors an extra five feet on the take off. That allowed Buyten to clear the bar, while Renner did not. Buyten was awarded the win and the golden helmet. Renner was visibly displeased with the outcome, and kicked over Tuff Blocks and flipped off officials before leaving the stadium floor.
