What Happened To BMX Legend Dave Mirra ?

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Dave Mirra was one the biggest stars in BMX for over a decade. He became a true legend of the sport. However many fans would be shocked with what transpired following his retirement. We take a look back at his career and find out what actually happened.  Hate 0:07 Intro 0:31 Childhood 1:24 Pro Career 2:41 Stardom 4:08 Retirement 5:21 Legacy 5:50 outro

Transcript

00:00he was one of the most accomplished athletes ever when it came to extreme sports not only

00:13did he entertain millions but he also inspired many with his unique skills unfortunately the

00:20ultimate risk taker would sadly stumble after his career was over let's take a look back at

00:26the BMX legend Dave mirror and find out what actually happened like many kids growing up

00:33summer was a special time that holds fond memories Dave's childhood was just a tad more extreme than

00:40others playing outside and riding his bike with other kids in the neighborhood is where he first

00:46discovered BMX he quickly became intrigued with the stunts and moves he saw being performed shortly

00:54after the introduction to the niche sport he would be doing tricks of his own unlike other

01:00kids riding just for fun Dave took it much more serious he would practice non-stop in his free

01:06time trying to improve it wasn't long before mirror became known around his town as the miracle boy for

01:13the unique tricks he was able to pull off the child prodigy landed local sponsorship deals and

01:20soon was competing against grown men in BMX competitions after turning pro at 17 mirror would

01:27build his name up even more he began making big waves on the scene with jaw-dropping moves he would

01:33conjure up established BMX riders like Matt Hoffman saw the writing on the wall and knew their time on

01:40top was about to come to an end while his performances were great he would take many bumps and bruises along

01:47the way but outside of the sport is when he would have his worst injury while enjoying the newfound

01:54success after leaving a nightclub Dave would be hit by a drunk driver while crossing the street the

02:01brutal accident left the up-and-coming athlete with a fractured skull and a torn shoulder to make matters

02:08even worse a blood clot also formed in his brain as a result the life-changing event would leave him

02:15sidelined for an extended period of time it also left him contemplating if he wanted to risk his

02:21health with a career in extreme sports after over a year of not riding the spark would reignite and

02:29mirrors passion for competition would return with support from his family he was motivated to pick up

02:35where he left off as luck would have it while he was gearing up for his return ESPN had announced the

02:43brand new X Games event it was the first nationally televised extreme sporting competition on a major

02:50network all the best BMX riders would be competing against one another for the gold and big exposure

02:56when it was all said and done Dave was able to take home a silver medal in front of a large amount of

03:04viewers that tuned in mirror stardom began to finally take off in a major way he was invited

03:11to more televised events and racked up more big wins against his peers his popularity continued to grow

03:18with each performance leaving fans mesmerized that watched regularly he was featured on sports magazine

03:25covers and also began signing lucrative deals with major brands in the industry similar to Tony Hawk

03:32being synonymous with skateboarding Dave soon became the face of BMX his mainstream success would

03:39continue to explode over the years even going on to have his very own video game series

03:45he won an ESPN award for best male action sports athlete in 2005 also mirror was included on people

04:04magazine's top 50 most eligible bachelor's list after many great accomplishments Dave decided to retire from

04:12the sport at 36 years old however it wouldn't be a ride off into the sunset for the legend like many

04:19superstar athletes retirement is only temporary mirror tried his hand at other sports to remain stimulated but

04:28his body had endured quite the beating over the years a long career accumulating countless concussions

04:34and brain trauma led to a case of CTE which is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that develops

04:41after repeated head injuries it can cause a variety of symptoms like depression memory loss and may lead

04:49to a steep mental decline in a shocking discovery at the age of 41 mirrors body was found in the back of his

04:58vehicle with a self-inflicted wound leading up to the devastating incident close friends of mirror said

05:06he seemed rather depressed about his inability to do things he once did mirror was known to be a fierce

05:12competitor and an outstanding athlete coming to grips with the physical decline it seemingly had become too much

05:20to handle mirror survived by his wife and two kids his wife chose to support several charitable causes in his

05:28absence including CTE research Dave was later inducted into the BMX Hall of Fame following the incident

05:37what do you think about this story were you a fan of the legend were you inspired by mirror to try the

05:44reality impossible leave a comment below and let me know

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