LAS VEGAS – Following Round 3 of the 2019 PBR World Finals, Jose Vitor Leme was backstage in T-Mobile Arena when a little girl peeked around the corner of the hallway and waved at him.

Grinning, the world No. 1 bull rider called out and waved her over.

She dashed towards him, and he crouched down to envelop her in a hug, cradling the back of her head.

It had been two long years since he’d seen his 6-year-old sister, Lais, and suddenly the world title race seemed just a touch less important than it had yesterday.

On Friday morning, Leme’s sister, mother and grandma arrived from Brazil for their first visit to the United States.

“It’s amazing. It’s just a dream come true to have my family here,” Leme said with the help of Paulo Crimber translating. “It’s been almost two years since I saw them. I missed them a lot.”

Leme’s family had tried to visit before – four times, in fact – but were denied visas because the government thought they would attempt to stay in the United States and didn’t have enough keeping them in Brazil.

But eventually they had their paperwork reviewed by a higher authority, and their visas were finally granted.

First stop: Las Vegas.

They arrived in the morning and spent the day simply being a family again.

“We didn’t really do anything special, but it was more like getting that cozy time in the room,” Leme said. “My wife took my mom to kind of go out for a little bit when I was resting, and my grandma stayed with me in the room. It was just really, really good.”

In the evening, the group, which included Leme’s wife and mother-in-law, made their way to T-Mobile Arena. Leme had drawn Birthday Cake for Round 3 and rode him for 89.5 points, good for third place in the round.

In Round 2, Leme bucked off Danny Boy following his 88-point ride aboard Skyfall in Round 1. He is currently fifth in the overall aggregate with 177.5 points, trailing No. 2 Jess Lockwood (270 points), Cody Teel (268.75), Alan de Souza (253.5) and Eduardo Aparecido (181.75).

Jose Vitor Leme riding a bull for 8 seconds is not a new phenomenon – he has 78 qualified rides this season – 49 on the Unleash The Beast – more than any other rider in the PBR this year – but this one, tonight, was different.

Not only was Leme’s family there to see him, it’s also the first time they’ve ever watched him ride as a professional.

When he first started riding in his native Brazil, he left his hometown of Ribas do Rio Pardo, in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, to compete in the state of Sao Paulo. He rose through the Brazilian bull riding ranks and departed as the PBR Brazil invite for the 2017 Velocity Tour Finals, where he won the international wild card berth for the 2017 PBR World Finals. There he went a perfect 6-for-6 to win the event and the Rookie of the Year title, and he hasn’t looked back – or been back to Brazil – since.

He’s become one of the best bull riders on the planet far from the comforts of his family.

It made his ride Friday night all the more poignant.

“There’s just something just to know they’re here watching, sitting there, and just kind of pointing to them and see, and just giving you so much more confidence,” Leme said. “It’s a good feeling, safe, just to know they’re here. And to now be able to see them is very special.”

Leme has drawn BootDaddy.com (23-7, UTB) for Round 4.

Fans can watch Round 4 live on CBS Sports Network at 11 p.m. ET and on RidePass 10:40 ET.

While bull riding hasn’t given Leme much of an issue in the two years he’s been in the United States, being away from his family has come with its own set of challenges and heartaches.

“It was the hardest part, staying away from them,” Leme said. He looked down at Lais, holding her hands as she stood in front of him. “When I first came over, she was 4. And now it’s been two years.”

Now that they’re all back together again, Leme hopes they’ll get to watch him win his first PBR World Championship, but also that the reunion lasts far longer than just this weekend. Ideally, he’d have them here until at least February.

“Maybe longer,” Leme said. “I’m going to try to keep them around as long as I can. She’s got school there, so that’s the reason they’ve got to go, but I’m going to try to have them back here.

“I want them to stay longer,” he said, laughing and hugging his sister to him. “I’m going to try.”