In the realm of bull riding, Sage Kimzey needs no introduction. The American rodeo star has long been the talk of the town thanks to his seven world championships in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PCRA). Kimzey’s 2023 journey kicked off this past weekend when he took first place in the San Angelo Xtreme Bulls, the year’s most anticipated competition in the bull-riding realm.

Sage Kimzey has just recovered from a devastating injury, but his return to the cowboy arena couldn’t have gone better. The world champion returned in grand fashion by elegantly capturing the championship. The cowboy also had some encouraging words for the people who were cheering for him in the arena and watching him on television across the world.

The return of the cowboy from the wild west

When Sage Kimzey returned to the ring last weekend after recovering from a long-overdue surgery on his shaky left shoulder, all eyes were on him as he mounted the bull. Kimzey had a lucky draw on his first ride, and then he rode an unruly bull, with a reputation for throwing off cowboys, with grace and confidence to win the title. With a total of 177 points on two tries, the 28-year-old bested underdog Tyler Taylor’s 165.5 points by a wide margin. His high scores came on Stockyards Pro Rodeo’s Crash Cart (87.5) and Harper & Morgan Rodeo Company’s Pickup Man (89.5).

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The bulls, Crash Cart and Pickup Man, are known for their ability to quickly buck off cowboys, but for the seven-time world champion, they were no match. In the post-match interview reported by Pro Rodeo, the cowboy from Oklahoma thanked the bulls, saying, “It was really excited to have Crash Cart in the long round. He’s a borderline short-round bull. I knew he would give me a great chance to have a high preference in the short round. He moved right into my hand. He’s a money bull. And like for a lot of guys, he was a money bull for me.” 

Fans went insane for the bull riding star

Kimzey received $11,614 for his first-place finish and praised the fans for their encouragement. Everyone in the arena went crazy as they saw the seven-time world champion accept the prize and make his moves for his eighth-world title. That was his first competition in 2023, but he breezed through it and posted a photo of the victory on Instagram. Several rodeo enthusiasts saw the picture and went to the comments to offer their congratulations to the cowboy from Oklahoma.

Out of all the heartfelt comments, one read, “Very nice buddy congratulations keep it rolling #NFR.” It looks like the rodeo fans have already claimed Kimzey as the best, as one comment read, “The Best.” One fan who could not wait for Kimzey to win more in 2023, said, “Way to go!” Apart from all the congratulations the cowboy got, someone appreciated his smile, saying, “Sage has a lot of soul behind that smile! Love it!!”

In spite of his history of ailments, the rodeo superstar won the 2023 San Angelo Xtreme Bulls with relative ease, demonstrating to the world that he is once again physically and mentally prepared to compete for his eighth world championship.

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