..By MICHAEL CRIST
..Special to AllAroundPhilly.com

The second half of the afternoon BMX double-feature had high-flying acrobatics courtesy of the biggest names in bike stunt –- a discipline in which riders perform tricks in timed runs on a course of obstacles.

At the top of that list Ryan Nyquist turned out an unbelievable performance to win gold with a 95.0, despite having to take a timeout along the way.

The 23-year-old broke the crank off his bike after landing a back flip with a one-handed bars-pin, forcing him to raise his hands for time in his first run. When Nyquist came out with a new bike he immediately repeated the trick sending the crowd into a frenzy. At the end of his second run, Nyquist blew out his back tire in what he described as a perfect ending to a gold-medal run.

"It’s awesome and incredible to win," Nyquist said. "I was surprised at the stuff I was pulling out and I tried some hard stuff."

Catching the silver was Alistair Whitton, whose terrific runs were overshadowed after he attempted a hand plant over a wall and fell about 15 feet to the ground, separating his AC joint.

Chad Kagy grabbed the bronze using a back flip with a tail-whip and a major bomb drop off the 20-foot platform. Kagy also landed a superman seat grab in which his entire body was horizontal in the air.

Kagy owed his performance to rigorous training.

"I practiced seriously hard. I trained at Camp Woodward and they give you the ability to do anything you want," Kagy said. "With the facilities, generally, anything you think up can be put together."

The biggest excitement of the event was induced by big-time rider Jay Miron who, after two consecutive failed attempts in his second run, pulled out a nasty 360 double tail-whip that brought the crowd to a roar. Though the “Canadian Beast,” as he is called in most circles, did not take home a medal he put on a fearless show.

The flatland finals kicked off the afternoon, proving just how international the X Games have become with the top three medal winners hailing from Europe.

With a flawless second run, Martii Kuoppa of Helsinki, Finland, scored a 95.0 to capture his third straight gold medal.

"After my first run I felt I was lucky to place fifth, so I came out and tried to make sure I did all my tricks (in the second run) to see what would happen," Kuoppa said. "The level of riding is getting higher so if you don’t practice there’s no way to keep it up. I will practice hard and take it again next year."

Kuoppa edged out Michael Steingraeber who earned the silver and wowed the crowd by standing straight up on his handlebars with his arms raised to the sky as he coasted to the judges’ table. A native of Hamburg, Germany, Steingraeber entered the second run in first place, but finished with a 93.4 and was not at all displeased.

"How could I be disappointed with winning the silver at the X Games?" Steingraeber said. "Of course I would have liked the gold, but Martii took it away in one round."

Taking home the bronze was Phil Dolan of London, Great Britain, with a score of 93.0. Dolan got off to a shaky start as he collided in warm-ups with fellow rider Alex Jumelin, who stood up with his face covered in blood.

"I was trying out a trick where I couldn’t see around me and I crashed into (Jumelin)," Dolan said. "As I fell I landed on his bike and it kicked back up and hit him in the face."

Jumelin got patched up but could not keep up with the leaders.

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