Athletes > Kyle Bennett > Bio

Palmares on the dirt
Bennett has won three world championships in BMX, three NBL #1 Pro Plates, and has twice finished in second place at the X Games, making him one of the favorites to take home a medal from Beijing.

A blessing in disguise
In October of 2006, Bennett tore his right ACL. He had surgery to repair the knee, and was forced to take seven months off from competition. Then in July of 2007, Bennett won the World Championship in Vancouver, after only three and a half months of being back on his bike. He says that the forced time off from the injury was actually a blessing in disguise.

Cleaning to pay the bills
Bennett, who started biking at the age of seven, was raised by his mother's parents Meme and Pepa in Conroe, Texas, where he still lives. His mother Donnel used to own a cleaning business, and Bennett would work for her at night while training during the day before he started to get sponsorships. Now he owns 17 acres in his hometown, and would one day like to create a training facility and run camps for young, aspiring BMX riders.

Like buttah baby
One of the more stylish riders in BMX, Bennett's nickname is "butter," for his smooth riding style.

First in line
Bennett was the first American to wrap up a spot in the inaugural BMX Olympic competition, by building an unsurpassable point lead in the World Cup point standings. "It's an honor, man. Words can't describe it," he told the Associated Press after clinching the spot by finishing fourth at a World Cup event in Copenhagen, Denmark.