- Great motocrosser made history with triple backflip
- He was due to marry his fiancée at the end of this year.
- Tragic news has left sport in a state of shock
Australian motocross star Jayden Archer has died aged 27 after an attempt to perform the trick that made him world famous went horribly wrong during a practice session on Wednesday.
The Victorian rose to fame by becoming the first motocross rider to perform a triple backflip in competition and was attempting the move when he lost his life in Melbourne.
Nicknamed ‘Jayo’, Archer was due to marry his fiancée Beth King later this year after proposing to her just after performing his historic stunt at the Nitro World Games in Brisbane in 2022.
Archer was planning to marry his fiancée Beth King (pictured together) later this year before tragedy struck on Wednesday.
The 27-year-old (in the center of the photo with other motocross riders) was practicing the triple backflip trick that made him famous when he died.
He had been a member of the famous Nitro Circus team for more than 10 years, won two X Games medals, and planned to attempt the world’s first quadruple backflip before his death.
Freestyle motocross legend Travis Pastrana was devastated by the news.
‘This really hit me. “Jayo grew up in a time when action sports were at their peak and he always wanted to do big things like the double and triple, even though there weren’t many places to show off those bigger tricks,” Pastrana said. ESPN.
‘He got up every morning at 4am and went to the gym before work so he could ride his dirt bike.
‘When he came to Maryland to train, he stayed at my house and was an incredible role model for my children. He was a great human being first, a great worker second, and a bad son of a bitch third.
In October of last year, Archer posted a heartfelt message to King on Instagram to celebrate his birthday.
Nicknamed ‘Jayo’, Archer (pictured with King) had been a member of the famous Nitro Circus team for over 10 years and was a two-time X Games medalist.
Motocross legend Travis Pastrana called Archer “first a great human being, second a great worker and third a bad son of a bitch” while paying tribute to his teammate.
“Happy birthday to my best friend, my fiancé, my lover, my partner in crime @bethkiing,” he wrote.
‘I’m so lucky to have you. Cheers for responding to those Facebook messages of mine all those years ago.’
Only three dirt bike riders have ever performed the triple backflip and Archer shared his elation after making history with it in 2022.
“I can’t describe this feeling,” he said.
‘This is much more than a trick to me. I have dedicated my entire life the last three years to this moment.
“There were a lot of obstacles, broken bones and knockouts, and I would do it 100 times to relive that moment again.”