Stephen Murray (BMX rider)

Stephen Murray (born 9 January 1980 in Newcastle, England) is a former BMX Dirt rider.

On Friday 22 June 2007, at the AST Dew Tour BMX Dirt Finals in Baltimore, Murray took a catastrophic fall attempting a double backflip on the final jump in the dirt section. He received career-ending injuries to his spinal cord and vertebrae and is paralyzed below the shoulders.

Recent reports have shown that he can shrug his shoulders, move his toes, his index fingers, and his thumbs.^[1]

Murray was a seven-time expert British champion and six-time UK National champion before the age of 16. During his professional BMX career, Murray was known for his double back flips, 360 back flips, and turndown back flips. He won the gold medal in BMX Dirt in the Summer 2001 X Games and won gold medals in BMX Dirt at the Gravity Games in back-to-back years (2001 and 2002). He was nominated for ESPN 'BMX rider of the year'.

Murray is no longer married, but has two sons which he has fully custody of. He resides in Evesham, England

Since the accident, Murray worked closely with the doctor who treated Christopher Reeve after the actor's accident left him quadriplegic. He now has limited movement in his toes and is also gaining more movements in his hands and hopes to move to a wheelchair that he can hand operate opposed to the one he currently has that he operates with him.

More recently, Murray has been on the True Geordie Podcast to talk more openly about his experience, and the journey of his life. His motivations and dealing with the crash are explored too, in a long but successful interview.

X Games Medals

Gravity Games

• 2001 Gravity Games BMX Dirt champion
• 2002 Gravity Games BMX Dirt champion

ESPN

• 'BMX rider of the year'

BMX Championships

• seven-time expert British champion
• six-time UK National champion^[2]

References

External links

• Online photo-biography