Photo: Elsa via Getty Images

Pierre Luc Gagnon edged out Bucky Lasek and Andy McDonald to take the gold at the supposedly dead X Games Vert event. It didn't seem so deceased to me today. There was some serious technical coping killing (bad choice of words I know), and above the deck gnar that went down. Plus, it was on national television, and in front of a packed house, the only time something dead has been able to pull that off, it was Michael Jackson's body.

PLG had some steazy runs in which he stuck nollie backside bigspin heelflips, and airs like fakie 720s. In Bucky's second place runs he had it "his way" with McEggplants, and a few switch 540s. Then there was good old Andy MacDonald, I can't believe this guy is still around, I remember him competing against Tony Hawk when the X Games were in their infant years. His sponsors too! He's got to be the only guy on the Airwalk team. You know how he has pulled it off? Consistency, he sticks everything, nothing too crazy, but everything he does, he lands. It's also worth noting that 15-years into this thing Andy and Bucky are bringing home medals.

There you have it, PLG opted out of the Big Air contest to focus on vert and it payed off. He is now a gold medalist in a classic skateboarding event. Not an Evel Knievel stunt show.

Results:
1. Pierre Luc Gagnon
2. Bucky Lasek
3. Andy MacDonald