Way a Step Above Competition

Danny Way jumped the Great Wall of China on a skateboard a day after badly injuring an ankle, so it wasn’t much of a surprise when he won the X Games big air contest Sunday in the Staples Center parking lot with an ankle swollen to the size of a tangerine. After all, he had five days to recover from that injury -- a fracture that is really an aggravation of the July 9 injury he suffered in China.

Way’s gold-medal run was a 360-degree spin over a 70-foot gap into a Christ air -- grabbing his skateboard and extending both arms overhead while nearly 60 feet above the ground -- off the 27-foot quarterpipe.

The real winner, however, may have been the progression of the sport.

Unlike last year when Way was the only rider who took on the larger of the two jumps on the big air ramp, five of the six finalists this year went across the 70-foot gap.

“This year was night and day from last year,” Way said. “Last year, I was a lonely guy at the top. I think the paradigm shifted to the big jump and I think that’s what everyone’s going to be focused on.”

Riders have a choice between a 60-foot roll-in that leads to a 50-foot gap or an 80-foot roll-in that leads to a 70-foot gap. Last year was the first time the event had been held and Way, who created the Mega Ramp, was the only one with experience on it.

Even a year later, most riders, including silver medalist Pierre-Luc Gagnon, hadn’t tried the big ramp until practice Sunday morning. That left no one surprised that Way could still win.

“It’s important to understand that nobody else tried this up until yesterday,” said bronze medalist Andy Macdonald, who first attempted the big jump in practice Saturday. “People just today started making stuff consistently over the 70-foot gap if your name isn’t Danny Way. We’re all catching up to Danny and now it’s an even playing field.”

Judges made it clear before the contest that they would score higher for attempts over the big jump, so riders took note and went for it.

“It kind of forced everyone to have to do it,” Way said. “But more or less, I think we’re all on the same page now and the progression is right where I think it should be.”

Way, who referred to his ankle as an “elephant ankle,” said that despite his injury, he never considered missing the contest. After a crash in practice Tuesday, he simply curtailed his practice so as not to take any chances.

“It was my goal to get on the ramp today and make a run,” he said. “It was cool to win, but believe me if I had just made a run and just got out there, I would have been like, ‘Thank God.’ ”