SAN FRANCISCO -- Three was the magic number for the final event of the 1999 ESPN X Games in San Francisco. Aggressive In-line skaters put on a show for the crowd in the Vert Triples competition when the trio of Taig Khris (Monte Carlo, France), Javier Bujanda (Barcelona, Spain) and Sven Boekhorst (Den Bosch, Holland) captured the gold medal with a score of 88.00.

"It's more fun skating in triples competitions because it's more relaxing and you're just out there to have fun," Khris said. "The crowd was terrific and they really helped out a lot."

Synchronization and technical tricks proved to be the deciding factor for the winners in a competition full of show. Bujanda landed a 900 flat spin underneath his teammates on the first run. The threesome also joined for synchronized McTwists and a triple over under.

"We just practiced for an hour yesterday and two hours today, but had nothing planned," Khris said. "Sven (Boekhorst) was tired and Javier (Bujanda) was in pain, but it was a last minute thing and we were lucky."

The Australian pair of Cesar Mora (Sydney, Australia) and Matt Salerno (Sydney, Australia) along with Mike Budnik of Irvine, Calif., claimed the silver, for the second consecutive year, with a score of 85.00. The bronze medal went to the team from Japan, brothers Eito and Takeshi Yasutoko (Osaka, Japan) and female skater Maki Komori (Hyogo, Japan) at 80.67.

As the final event of the 1999 Games, the triples competition allowed the athletes to not only showcase their talents, but also add a dramatic twist to the event. The seventh place team of Manuel Billiris, Eitan Kramer and Scott Crawford climbed to the top of the ramp dressed in hoods and carrying light sabres, acting out a Star Wars-theme battle. The third-place team from Japan made it a family affair as the father of Eito and Takeshi Yasutoko came out on the ramp and demonstrated his skills on four-wheeled skates.

Khris, Bujanda and Boekhorst won their second X Games medal. The trio took home the bronze last year.

Lavin battles mother nature for Dirt Jumping gold
T.J. Lavin (Las Vegas, Nev.) battled through the wind and the field of 20 riders to take home his second gold medal in three years in Bicycle Stunt Dirt Jumping at the 1999 ESPN X Games in San Francisco.

"Even though the conditions were horrible, it still doesn't change the feeling of winning," Lavin said. "It was mostly luck out there, and I would have liked to see everyone have good conditions without the wind. It was a showdown and I'm just really happy to be here."

Lavin jumped through 24 mph winds to land a tail whip on his final run. But, he was able to throw out his lowest score, finishing with a three-run average of 86.67 to grab the gold medal. On his earlier runs, he landed an x-up tail whip and a superman seat grab to take the lead.

Lavin returned to the spot he held in 1997, defeating last year's gold medalist, Brian Foster (Huntington Beach, Calif.). Foster also used the scores from his first three runs, finishing close behind at 86.27 for silver. Ryan Nyquist (Los Gatos, Calif.) took the bronze with a score of 85.33 after jumping in to the top on his final run. In 1997, the same three riders finished in the same order.

"I tried to forget about everything - the wind, the judges - and just ride," Nyquist said. "The wind was unfortunate for all of the riders and we really couldn't perform to our potential. I just tried to focus on consistency."

San Francisco sets X Games attendance record
Crowds packed the three X Games venues in San Francisco to witness nine days of extreme sports action. The 1999 total crowd count closed at 268,390 after 21,056 spectators arrived at Piers 30 and 32 on the final day. Overall, 235,290 came through the gates at the main venue, 27,600 watched three days of Street Luge at Seal Rock Run, and 5,500 arrived on Treasure Island for Wakeboarding.

One year ago, a total of 242,850 fans attended the San Diego event.

The X Games took place at Piers 30 and 32 in San Francisco from June 25 through July 3. The Games brought in more than 400 of the world's best alternative sport athletes, who competed for nearly $1 million in prize money, to the Bay Area. For the 1999 X Games, ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC have combined to televise 28.5 hours of original programming (June 27-July 5). ESPN International has distributed the event to a global audience, and ESPN.com has also provided extensive on-line coverage.