Michael Metzger (born November 19, 1975) is an American

freestyle motocross Freestyle motocross (also known as FMX) is a variation on the sport of motocross in which motorcycle riders attempt to impress judges with jumps and stunts. The two main types of freestyle events are: *Big air (also known as "best trick"), in wh ...

rider. Metzger has been riding motorcycles for 27 years of his life, but he began his focus on Freestyle in the late '90s.

Early life

Metzger was born in Huntington Beach, California on November 19, 1975.

Career

In the 2002

X Games The X Games are a series of action sports events founded by ESPN Inc. and aired on ESPN networks and ABC. In late 2022, ESPN sold the long-running property to MSP Sports Capital, a private equity firm co-founded by Jahm Najafi and Jeff Mo ...

, Metzger won the Freestyle and Big Air events and got second place in Step Up, earning him an estimated $100,000 in three days. In 2003 he also got first place in Big Air at Winter X Games. On August 7, 2003, Metzger debut the "McNasty", a "Backflip Heelclicker" at the

Disney's California Adventure Disney California Adventure is a theme park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It is owned and operated by the Walt Disney Company through its Experiences division. The park is themed after Disney's interpretation of California, ...

, unfortunately he crashed on it and has a

concussion A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include headache, dizziness, difficulty with thinking and concentration, sleep disturbances, a brief ...

and an injured

wrist In human anatomy, the wrist is variously defined as (1) the carpus or carpal bones, the complex of eight bones forming the proximal skeletal segment of the hand; "The wrist contains eight bones, roughly aligned in two rows, known as the carpal ...

, which mean he did not compete at the 2003 X Games ( X Games IX). On January 21, 2005, Metzger recuperating from his terrible crash and injury in

Geneva, Switzerland Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the capital of the Republic and Ca ...

, nine days ago. Metzger lost one of his

testicles A testicle or testis ( testes) is the gonad in all male bilaterians, including humans, and is homologous to the ovary in females. Its primary functions are the production of sperm and the secretion of androgens, primarily testosterone. The ...

when he failed to land a "Backflip Nac-Nac", and he spent six days in the hospital there. On May 4, 2006, at 9:26, Metzger completed "The Impossible Jump", doing a world record backflip over the fountains in front of

Caesars Palace Caesars Palace is a luxury hotel and casino in Paradise, Nevada, United States. The hotel is situated on the west side of the Las Vegas Strip between Bellagio and The Mirage. It is one of Las Vegas's largest and best known landmarks. Caesar ...

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, seen live on

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. He is the first person to complete a backflip over the fountains, and only the second person to ever successfully land that jump. The others to attempt the jump over Caesars Palace's fountains include

Evel Knievel Robert Craig Knievel (October 17, 1938November 30, 2007), known professionally as Evel Knievel (), was an American stunt performer and entertainer. Throughout his career, he attempted List of Evel Knievel career jumps, more than 75 ramp-to-ra ...

, Gary Wells, and

Robbie Knievel Robert Edward Knievel II (May 7, 1962 – January 13, 2023) was an American motorcycle jumping stunt performer. He had also used the stage name Kaptain Robbie Knievel. His last daredevil jump was in 2011, and he died in 2023 at age 60 of pan ...

, of which only Robbie landed successfully. He also set the record for distance, landing 125 feet from the takeoff ramp. Metzger recently has been doing freeride. Commonly known as "The Godfather of Freestyle Motocross", Metzger was one of the first riders to begin doing basic tricks such as heel clickers and can cans. His acrobatic accomplishments include being the first person to complete back-to-back-flips (two flips on two consecutive jumps) at the X Games. As a result of his popularity, he also appeared in ''

Freekstyle ''Freekstyle'' is a 2002 motocross racing video game for the PlayStation 2, GameCube and Game Boy Advance. There are four levels of gameplay: the circuit, a quick race, freestyle, and free run. The game features an assortment of real-life Freest ...

'', a 2002

motocross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competi ...

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for the

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, and

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, and his image is on the cover. He invented the heel clicker (Frezno Smooth). Metzger has appeared numerous times on the Discovery Channel's

extreme sport Action sports, adventure sports or extreme sports are physical activity, activities perceived as involving a high degree of risk of injury or death. These activities often involve speed, height, a high level of physical exertion and highly speci ...

show '' Stunt Junkies''. In the last episode he appeared in, he was seriously injured; while attempting to execute a jump with a back-flip between two

barge A barge is typically a flat-bottomed boat, flat-bottomed vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. Original use was on inland waterways, while modern use is on both inland and ocean, marine water environments. The firs ...

s, he overshot the landing ramp and suffered a compression fracture of the L4

vertebra Each vertebra (: vertebrae) is an irregular bone with a complex structure composed of bone and some hyaline cartilage, that make up the vertebral column or spine, of vertebrates. The proportions of the vertebrae differ according to their spina ...

in his lower back. He invented the "McMetz", a trick in which the rider puts both feet over the handlebars in midair, then sweeps them backward towards his arms, takes his hands off the bars to allow the legs by, then remounts the bike after floating detached from it for a split second.

Personal life

Metzger lives in Big Bear, California.Mike Metzger, Godfather of Freestyle motocross injured- Dirt Illustrated
Retrieved November 27, 2016.

Events

*1999 Vans Triple Crown of Freestyle Motocross: 1st *2002 Red Bull X-Fighters - Freestyle: 3rd (Madrid, Spain) *2005 Dew Tour - Freestyle: 10th

X Games competition history

Gravity Games

References

External links

Mike Metzger Official page on FMX LifeMike Metzger's Motocross Team: The Mob SyndicateMetzger's profile on GrindTV.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Metzger, Mike American motorcycle racers Motorcycle builders Freestyle motocross riders Living people People from Menifee, California World record setters in motorcycling 1975 births