Athlete Profile

Marcus Christopher: Overcomes Scary Slam For X Games Gold

By Nicole Dreon

BMX Park athlete Marcus Christopher...

...didn’t expect to charge hard at X Games Ventura 2024. The 21-year-old suffered a horrific-looking crash at X Games California 2023 that left him with a broken jaw and cheekbone, sucking through a straw for weeks. He also had just secured his spot for July’s Paris Olympics, and rumor was USA BMX athletes had been asked to take it easy in Ventura. Then there was the strong wind on competition day that made for tricky conditions.

So yeah, Christopher had multiple reasons to back off a bit. But then he looked up into the stands, saw his entire family -- mom, dad, brother, uncle and grandparents all made the trip from Ohio to watch him -- and something shifted. “Once I got there and in that mood, I was just like, ‘I want to win this thing,’” Christopher says. “I figured, why not? I could get hurt on any day just practicing anyway.”

And win he did. Christopher came out blazing, earning a massive score of 94.00 with his first run, a tally that easily would’ve secured gold. But he wasn’t done. He went even harder in his second pass, blasting above the deck and ripping through the course. No one approached his aggression or energy, and he was rewarded with a 95.66.

The performance left no doubt that he was best on the day, claiming victory by nearly five points over silver medalist Kevin Peraza. The victory earned Christopher his first X Games gold, making him the third-youngest Park champ in history. Catch his jaw-dropping run and peep how his peers react; they knew they’d witnessed something special.

In some ways...

...the title seems like destiny fulfilled after a brief detour. Christopher was a BMX prodigy, motivated to switch from BMX racing to freestyle at age 10 after meeting BMX icon and X Games analyst Scotty Cranmer. He qualified for X Games Minneapolis 2019 as a 16-year-old, becoming the fifth-youngest person ever to compete in an X Games BMX discipline. He finished 11th in BMX Park as a rookie but then fell off the radar a little; his next X Games appearance didn’t come until XG Japan 2023, when he took Park bronze. He was on his way…until the scary slam at X Games two months later.

But Christopher says memories of the crash -- which left him with two plates and eight screws in both his jaw and cheek -- didn’t bother him in 2024. In fact, he was willing to talk to X Games about it, and a compelling Pushing Through piece (below) built from the interview just dropped. “Once I recovered from that crash and got back on the bike, I wasn’t thinking about it too much,” he explains. “I’m not someone who has that constantly on their mind and gets scared about riding their bike, because I know how to ride my bike and I know what to do.”

He certainly knew what to do at X Games Ventura, where he achieved a lifetime goal. “I watched the X Games growing up as a kid,” Christopher says. “And not just BMX, but moto and skateboarding and snowboarding, everything. It was always a dream just to make it there. Once I made it there, the dream was to get a medal, and then it was to win. So to get an X Games gold is a dream come true.”

Pushing Though: Marcus Christopher

All-American Attitude

Hailing from Hartville, Ohio, Christopher embodies the values of hard work and family. He’s a Midwestern kid through and through -- sitting down for family dinners every night, wrenching on his 4-wheeler and spending weekends fishing for catfish and largemouth bass or hunting deer and waterfowl.

Marcus and his younger brother, Charlie, attended the same high school as their parents, Matt and Lori. Matt and Lori went on to the Ohio State University, where Matt was a star linebacker. Marcus doesn’t play football, but he has a linebacker’s build and mentality: He’s relentless on the BMX park course, attacking every line with full-throttle intensity.

When he’s not shredding his backyard ramps or prepping for the next big competition, Marcus puts in the effort off the bike, too. He’s been working with a personal trainer for years, hits the gym several times a week and believes his strength is his greatest asset. “It helps you get more speed on the bike and whip it around easier,” he says.

From Backyard Ramp to X Games Gold

Christopher also consults and works with the USA BMX team coach, 16-time X Games medalist Ryan Nyquist. But Nyquist is based in the BMX hotbed of North Carolina, where Christopher’s fellow Midwesterner and X Games Park champ Hannah Roberts moved to be part of the scene. Marcus has resisted the allure of N.C. or Southern California and stayed true to his roots, riding solo in his backyard and sticking close his community. After clinching his X Games gold, the local pride was profound.

“I was on the front page of the local paper multiple times,” Marcus says. “People were reaching out to me and my family; it was incredible. Even the superintendent of my old high school brought me in to speak to the teachers. The support has been overwhelming, and I couldn’t ask for more from everyone around here.”

Next stop: Defending his crown at X Games Chiba 2024.

Marcus Christopher Bio Blast