PUEBLO, Colo. – It is hard to tell at first glance, but if you look at Troy Wilkinson’s right, front tooth you can tell that it is slightly darker than the rest of his teeth.
“I knocked my front tooth out once and pushed it back in,” Wilkinson says nonchalantly.
The recently minted 2017 PBR Australia Champion also split his knee in half once.
How about a broken Leg?
Check it off the list.
Broken arm?
You bet.
What about a broken nose?
Yup. At least two times that Wilkinson can remember.
The laundry list of gruesome injuries for the 26-year-old bull rider is extensive, although non of those injuries happened inside of the bull riding arena.
“I have had more injuries playing rugby than bull riding,” Wilkinson said.
Wilkinson was a two-sport athlete growing up in Upper Horton, Australia – an extremely small village and farming region in the northern corner of New South Wales that is also known for its famous New Year’s Day Rodeo.
Bull riding was, and always will be, his No. 1 passion, but the 5-foot-7-inch Wilkinson had quite the knack at carrying the football.
“I had opportunities to go play in rugby union in Australia,” Wilkinson said. “I played a lot of football. As everyone in the country grew up, we all played a little rugby. It made you tough. It was good for bull riding.”
Wilkinson was a bull-dozing scrum-half that had no problem going against opponents that were up to 80 pounds heavier than he was.
“I probably had what you call little man syndrome,” Wilkinson joked. “I always thought I was bigger than I was. Growing up, I would get the bigger guy on the ground, but I would still be laying there for 20 minutes.”
Once he turned 18 years old, Wilkinson knew he had to choose which path to go down professionally.
“It was a hard decision, but I felt, crikey, bull riding was in my blood,” Wilkinson said. “It was that much more fun and exciting. I grew up watching bull riding. I didn’t grow up watching rugby.”
He may not have been a rugby addict, but Wilkinson sure knows how to recognize a famous rugby player when they come around.
During the Built Ford Tough Series summer break and his push at the 2017 PBR Australia title, Wilkinson met rugby stars Sam Burgess and Nick “The Honey Badger” Cummins in the Land Down Under.
Wilkinson was undergoing Cryotherapy treatment days before the PBR Australia National Finals when he saw Burgess at the Sydney rehab facility.
He later met Cummins during the National Finals.
Wilkinson’s ruthless, fearlessness on the rugby field has helped him stay confident during the 2017 Built Ford Tough Series in the United States.
Wilkinson, who also got engaged this summer to his fiancée, Montana Thurtell, has risen to 29th in the world standings and is one event away from tying his career-high of seven events he set in 2013.
It hasn’t been easy pickings for Wilkinson as the left-handed bull rider is only 4-for-32 (12.5 percent) in 14 career events.
“It has taken me a while to adapt, but I am confident and happy to get on whatever they throw at me,” Wilkinson said. “A bull is a bull and you take it one bull at a time. It is more of a mental game when you go against guys like Cooper (Davis) and J.B. (Mauney). They ride like 50 percent, while at home you ride against guys and there may be only five rides.
“You can ride 50-60 percent bull at a home and over here every bull is like a short round bull over in Australia.”
Wilkinson won the 2017 PBR Australia title by getting hot at the last minute and catching some lucky breaks along the way.
After returning to Australia on May 20, Wilkinson went 10-for-20, including 2-for-3 at the PBR Australia National Finals, to finish a tight 50.83 points ahead of Aaron Kleier.
Wilkinson concluded the 2017 PBR Australia season 14-for-35 (40 percent) with a victory and seven Top-5 finishes.
“That was pretty cool,” Wilkinson said. “Crikey, I have been riding in PBR Australia since I was 18. I am 26 now and I got my first title under my belt. This is a pretty good accomplishment. I didn’t even know I was really within striking range. Those guys were riding so well going into the Finals. I dang sure was going to do well at the Finals. They just had a bit of bad luck that night and I drew some good bulls.”
As the 2017 PBR Australia Champion, Wilkinson also earned an international invitation to the Real Time Pain Relief Velocity Tour Finals at South Point Arena in Las Vegas Oct. 28-30.
Wilkinson is slated to next compete at the Velocity Tour event in Santa Barbara, California, on Thursday night.
Oh, and for those wondering, one of Wilkinson’s worst bull riding injuries came when he was 8 years old. A bucking drum that he had assembled with his brother snapped and drilled him in the face.
“My lip was hanging down pretty low,” Wilkinson concluded with a smirk before pointing at a tiny scar.
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko