Brian Deegan

Brian Deegan at Winter X Games (http://www.skatelog.com/photos/xgames/2005/winter/brian-deegan-1107147312-314x350.jpg)

Brian Deegan was born in Omaha, Nebraska on May 9th, 1975. He started his motocross career in 1986 just racing in his hometown. He later switched from racing to freestyle because he was sick of all of the politics in racing. He became pro at the age of 19, and since he started freestyle, he has started inventing his own tricks, one of which is the mulish twist which is a 360 back flip.

Brian Deegan's crash at Winter X-Games 2004 (http://media.mnginteractive.com/media/paper36/Crash0128art.jpg)

During the 2004 Winter X-Games Brian Deegan attempted a back flip, but before he realized it, he was falling 40 feet onto solid ice. He broke both of his wrists, a leg, and ruptured his spleen. A year later he returned to the sport at the 2005 Winter X-Games and reclaimed the gold medal.

Brian Deegan is my hero because of his so many nearly impossible accomplishments, and because he came back after a near death crash to win the gold medal at the Winter X-Games a year later.