By Keith McNeill
The Times
Clearwater’s Brett Turcotte has won two gold medals plus one fifth place spot at X Games 2018 in Aspen, Colorado.
On Thursday, Jan. 25, he won gold in the speed and style event.
Then on Friday evening, Jan. 26, he took first place in the snowmobile freestyle event.In the snow bike best trick competition on Sunday evening he did not do so well, placing fifth.
“This has been the hardest season leading into this event, with being injured all summer and not knowing the level I could compete at,” he commented on social media.
“I️ put my head down and went to work and had the best week of my life here, all the support, all the sponsors, my family, friends, THANK YOU! This is truly an experience I’ll never forget,” he added.
“Looking forward to upping my ability on the snowbike, but hey, I guess I️ did pretty good for only riding it one day before the contest, flipping it this morning was a feat in itself after landing on my head numerous times the day before coming here in the foam pit.”
Turcotte scored 92.00 on his second and final run in the freestyle, beating out Americans Levi LaVallee (88.00) and Justin Hoyer (84.33).
The turning point in the freestyle competition for the Clearwater resident was the first trick of his second run when he went side-saddle on his sled before the jump, then in midair spun himself 360 degrees before getting back on the seat and landing. He did this without holding onto the handlebars. The whole trick lasted less than four seconds.
A competitor and medal winner at the X Games for several years, this has been the first X Games at which he has won a gold medal – and now he’s won two.
“Words. Do. Not. Explain!” he posted on social media following his win after the speed and style event. “Finally did it, so pumped on my first event of three here at @xgames! GOLLLDDD!”
READ MORE: Brett Turcott plans charity snowmobile event (Jan. 12, 2017)
In the speed and style event, the local snowmobiler beat out Levi Lavalle of Minnesota by just 0.3 of a point to win. The event combines points from judged tricks with a bonus for finishing first. Lavallee has previously won seven gold medals at the X Games.
In snow bike best trick on Sunday evening, Turcotte fell on his first run, getting 62.00 points.
On his second run his score was 76.66, which was his final score as it is based on the best of the two runs.
First place in snow bike best trick went to Australian Rob Adelberg with 89.00 points.
Turcotte started competing at the X Games as a snocross racer in 2007.
He won silver in 2008 but took a break from the X Games after 2011.
In 2015 he returned as a freestyler and finished seventh in the event due to a mechanical problem.
However, he came back to take bronze in snowmobile freestyle in 2016.
Last year, Turcotte won silver for best snowmobile trick at the X Games
READ MORE: Turcotte wins silver at Winter X Games (Jan. 31, 2017)
He won the silver medal with a Coyote Indy – a backflip performed hanging from the snowmobile’s handlebar, twisting his body sideways while kicking his feet.
“I am ecstatic!” said his mother, Roxanne Turcotte. “A humble man with a humble heart has always been his inner ‘key.’ His passion and drive to succeed are nonstop.”
Turcotte will turn 30 years old on Monday, Jan. 29.
The Clearwater Times has been reporting about Turcotte’s snowmobiling career for almost 20 years. In 1998 the newspaper reported that he had won second place in a BC Snowmobiling Federation hill-climb near Vernon.
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