March 5, 2015
X Games Austin 2015 Reveals First Wave of Invited Athletes
X Games Austin returns to Circuit of The Americas June 4 -7, 2015, and today revealed the first wave of invited athletes. After a successful 2014 X Games debut in the new host city of Austin, Texas, the world’s top action sports athletes will once again take center stage to compete for X Games medals and prize money in BMX, Moto X, Skateboard, Rally and Truck X.
In addition to action sports competition, X Games Austin will bring fans an all-encompassing youth cultural experience with several world-class musical performances, including Grammy-nominated hip hop superstar Nicki Minaj performing on the new Super Stage. X Games Austin will also feature elite gaming competitions, enhanced festival villages and hospitality options.
ESPN and ABC will televise a combined 20 hours of live X Games Austin competition, which will also be accessible via WatchESPN to viewers who receive their video subscription from an affiliated provider. Additional coverage of sports and music will be carried on ESPN3 as well as the latest coverage across ESPN digital platforms, including XGames.com, X Games app, X Games pages across Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and more.
X Games Austin 2014 Skateboard Vert gold medalist Jimmy Wilkins competing in front of the Texas State Capitol. (Photo by Chasen Marshall / ESPN Images)
The first wave of X Games Austin 2015 invited athletes includes:
- Chase Hawk (Austin, Texas) – Austin hometown favorite and X Games BMX Park defending gold medalist will attempt to repeat in what will be his ninth X Games appearance.
- Jamie Bestwick (Nottingham, Great Britain) – 13-time X Games BMX Vert gold medalist and arguably the most dominant BMX Vert rider in history will be going for an unprecedented 10-peat this year.
- Nyjah Huston (Davis, Calif.) – Winner of four-consecutive X Games Skateboard Street competitions, Huston will be attempting to add a 10th X Games medal to his collection at X Games Austin with six already being gold.
- Tom Schaar (Cardiff, Calif.) – 15-year-old phenom and defending X Games Skateboard Big Air gold medalist was the first to land a 1080 in competition at the X Games Asia 2012 Mini-Mega ramp.
- Maria Forsberg (Seattle, Wash.) – Three-time Enduro X gold medalist and three-time silver medalist returns to X Games competition for the first time after the birth of her first child.
- Lacey Baker (Covina, Calif.) – After earning two X Games silver medals and one bronze, Baker added the first gold to her collection at X Games Austin 2014.
- Scott Speed (Manteca, Calif.) – Two-time X Games RallyCross gold medalist and one of the most well-rounded drivers having formally competed in NASCAR and Formula One.
- Mike Mason (Carson City, Nev.) – The four-time Moto X Speed & Style gold medalist has dominated the podium, winning four of the last five X Games Speed & Style competitions since 2012.
- Taka Higashino (Osaka, Japan) – Three-time Moto X Freestyle gold medalist has consistently been on the podium since 2012 and will now have a chance to bring home gold in the new Moto X QuarterPipe competition.
*PLEASE NOTE: The invited athlete list is constantly being updated and is subject to change.
The full list of first wave athletes invited to compete at X Games Austin 2015 is available at www.xgames.com.
The complete X Games Austin 2015 competition schedule will be available on www.xgames.com for fans and www.espnmediazone.com for media in the coming weeks. Follow the X Games on Twitter at https://twitter.com/xgames. Tickets are on sale at www.ticketmaster.com/xgames.
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Media Contacts:
Crystal Yang, ESPN Communications, 213-405-4401, crystal.j.yang@espn.com
Danny Chi, ESPN Communications, 213-405-4400, danny.c.chi@espn.com
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