Bike
BMX
BMX athlete Garrett Reynolds breaks the all time X Games gold medal record
“For the competition side of my riding, it’s by far my biggest accomplishment.” Read more to see what Reynolds thinks about this big feat.
Three runs at the X Games Chiba 2024 BMX Street event in Japan were all that separated BMX rider Garrett Reynolds from the overall X Games gold record. Dropping into the event, Reynolds was tied with snowboarder Shaun White and skateboarder Nyjah Huston with 15 gold medals, a title he earned at the 2022 X Games.
Garrett Reynolds with his X Games gold medal
© Koury Angelo
As Reynolds flowed through his first run, he looked strong until he crashed on one of his trademark technical tricks. In his second run, a minor slip-up had him sitting in 6th place. Everything came down to his third and final run. Reynolds, however, is no stranger to pressure. Having competed since 2003, Reynolds knows how to calculate, perform, and land a podium-worthy run. Dropping in, Reynolds laced together one trick after another. One particular combination, a backward grind on an upward rail to a full cab, particularly sent the commenters wild. It was the complex trick he tried to land in his second run, and this go around, he stomped it. “I know if I could make [that trick], I was chilling,” he explains. Reynolds took over the lead, winning his 16th X Games medal. “For the competition side of my riding, it’s by far my biggest accomplishment.”
I don’t think you make it to where I am in the sport unless you love what you’re doing.
Garrett Reynolds trains at House Park in Austin
© Dennis Elliott / Red Bull Content Pool
“I feel relieved,” he says, reflecting on the win and the record. For the last two years, the pressure of breaking the record was in the back of his head at every event, weighing on him as he competed. “Before I won many of these contests without ever thinking about [the record], I started to tighten up naturally as I got closer and closer to breaking this record.” The thing about Reynolds is that the results and medals are not his singular focus. He’s widely known throughout the industry for his humility and passion, and the American is quick to reference his love for his sport rather than talk about the 23 X Games medals he’s earned from the last 21 years of competing. “I don’t think you make it to where I am in the sport unless you love what you’re doing,” he emphasizes. Breaking the overall gold medal record was never his north star. His passion for riding drove him first and foremost.
Garrett Reynolds with his X Games gold medals
© Koury Angelo
However, as it became more and more apparent that he had a shot of breaking the record, Reynolds defined what the feat would mean for him. He dedicated the accomplishment to his late father, Rick Reynolds. “I thought it would be cool to dedicate something big to him since a lot of my success in BMX came from him and his support in the early years,” he reflects. Rick brought him to various contests and skateparks to ride, helping Reynolds get to where he is today. “I wanted to do it for him, BMX, and make the next contest I ride a little less stressful,” he explains.
Garrett Reynolds at Simple Session 2024 in Tartu, Estonia
© Merlin Czarnulla / Red Bull Content Pool
In preparation for the Chiba event and all events, Reynolds stays sharp through a variety of means. He practices yoga and breathing exercises and works with a trainer who’s specifically trained elite athletes like Olympians. These tactics help him on the bike and mitigate old injuries, like one he’s managing now: a pinched nerve in his shoulder blade. But most importantly and unsurprisingly, he rides his bike a lot. “I’m a pretty big believer that the only thing that will get you ready to compete is riding your bike,” he explains. The training can only go so far; the riding will help you stand apart. For him, riding doesn’t just encompass competitions; there’s an element of play involved. Scrolling through Reynolds’ social media feed, it’s easy to find clips of him hopping over staircases, hitting rails, and playing with new trick combinations everywhere he goes.
Garrett Reynolds grinds a handrail at House Park in Austin
© Colin Kerrigan / Red Bull Content Pool
Moving forward, Reynolds is excited to get back in the arena and not have the record swirling in the back of his head. Until the next competition, he’s shifting gears to complete a video project that’s been in the works for the last three years. Video is just as crucial to his career as competing, and this latest project is one of his biggest yet. “For the video side of my career, [this film] is going be the project that makes me most proud,” he says.
