VIDEO: Nitro Circus honours Okanagan athlete’s historic return to the ramp

KELOWNA – The biggest freestyle motocross and action sports promotion in the world is honouring a Kelowna rider who made history last week as the first paraplegic to pull of a backflip in front of a major audience.

Bruce Cook was paralyzed from the waist down two years ago while attempting the first ever double front flip in Ontario. He made his triumphant return to the stage in Toronto Oct. 14 and now an American company that organizes extreme sports shows around the world have produced a short video highlighting his accomplishment and never quit attitude.

The three-minute video starts off with a gut-wrenching clip of the accident, but moves to a truly inspirational montage of Cook preparing for his historic jump.

“I never expected to see Bruce back on a bike,” Nitro Circus co-founder and performer Travis Pastrana says. “It’s the toughest thing for any athlete to not be able to follow your passion but Bruce figured out a way.”

The video will give you the chills as it details the modifications made to Cook's bike and of course, reactions from fellow performers and the audience.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Adam Proskiw at aproskiw@infonews.ca or call 250-718-0428. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.