Teenage Sensation Conquers Eliminations to Secure World Finals Showing

On a journey to become the youngest World Champion in PBR history, the teenager ended with two substantial wins during the Elimination Rounds.

Nathan Meyer for SI Rodeo Daily

John Crimber from Decatur, Texas, is a name you should remember. At only 18 years old, Crimber is making waves and taking names in the Professional Bull Riders.

The No. 2 ranked man in the world of PBR has slimmed the margin between himself and Cassio Dias. Crimber started the Eliminations Rounds 560.5 points behind the current leader. When the doors closed on the fourth round, Crimber had narrowed that gap to 487.5 points.

Mathematically, it is certainly possible for Crimber to become the youngest PBR World Champion when he walks into AT&T Stadium on May 18-19 for the World Finals. He will be able to earn 756 Unleash the Beast points.

He won't be the only man who can catch Dias. The top four in the standings will be able to earn the championship, and no doubt, the riders and the beasts involved will put on a show in Arlington, Texas.

Crimber started the Eliminations slow, getting bucked off in the first two rounds, but then found his groove and came back to split the win in Round 3 when he rode Brown Bomber of Culp Bucking Bulls for 89.25 points.

Sunday brought about another win for the young superstar when he bested Ugly This from Cord McCoy/McCoy Rodeo. That 8-second effort was good enough for 89.75 points and the solo spot atop the leaderboard.

In total, Crimber earned $127,833.33 for his work at Cowtown Coliseum in the Elimination Rounds.

Dias had to sit on the sidelines for Round four of the Eliminations as he suffered an injury in the third round. Dias made good work of his time when he was healthy, though, by riding Sava of Risen Cattle Co. for 86.75 points in Round 1. He then followed that up with a successful stint on Ricky Vaughn of WinRock/D&H Cattle/Buck Cattle. Together, Dias and the bull scored 88 points. Norse God got the best of Dias in Round 3 at just 5.78 seconds and then stepped on the Brazilian cowboy to sideline him.

Kaiden Loud from Kaufman, Texas, turned out to be the man of the hour at the Elimination Rounds. He was the only cowboy to go 3-for-4 during the competition. Earning the win along with 379 Unleash the Beast points, and the check for $219,813.33 boosted Loud all the way from No. 20 in the standings to No. 6.

Loud's appearance at the Championship rounds wasn't secure, but he made sure of it during the Elimination rounds. He is likely mathematically eliminated from being the World Champion, but he surely has a large chance to be the event champion, given how he performed during the showing at Cowtown.

The Ride for Redemption Rounds will start tonight, May 15, at 7:45 p.m., once again held at Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth, Texas. The 25 men who didn't move on from the Eliminations will be joined by 10 riders from PBR Teams and an additional five invitees to make up the field of 40. Of those, five will earn the right to walk into AT&T Stadium and take part in the World Finals Championship Rounds, where the PBR will crown another millionaire.