"Dave Mirra, your courage, determination and natural skill in everything you pursued pushed the world of action sports to become a better place. His 24 career medals were the most in X Games history until Bob Burnquist broke the mark in 2013.Īlong the way, Mirra released a signature shoe with DC Shoes, had two video games that carried his name and later became the host of MTV's "Real World/Road Rules Challenge." Mirra medaled every year at the X Games from 1995 to 2008, winning 14 golds. Mirra broke huge barriers in the sport, landing the first double backflip in competition at the 2000 X Games in San Francisco and continued his career on an upward climb. we are heartbroken," action sports star Tony Hawk said on Twitter.Ī native of Chittenango in upstate New York, Mirra became part of a co-sponsored team at 13 and went on to join the team of his idol, Mat Hoffman, in 1992. "Goodbye Dave Mirra, a true pioneer, icon and legend.
Mirra's body was found in North Carolina on Thursday with an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound, leaving a huge hole in the hearts of those who knew him or watched him fly through the air.
He was a giant in the big-air world of action sports, becoming one of the most decorated athletes in X Games history whose legacy carried on long after he stopped competing. Dave Mirra did things few people could on a BMX bike, using a combination of natural ability, fearlessness and innovation to take the sport to places many never thought possible.