LAS VEGAS – Jose Vitor Leme understands he won’t truly know how his body is going to hold up until he nods his head on Wednesday night at T-Mobile Arena when the PBR World Finals officially get underway. However, the reigning World Champion believes he is healthy enough to hold off Kaique Pacheco, Cooper Davis, and Joao Ricardo Vieira and win a second consecutive World Championship.
The No. 1-ranked bull rider in the world has not competed since Sept. 19 when he partially tore his right groin in Newark, New Jersey, during his event-winning ride on Slingin Tears. Leme then had a setback in his recovery when he sustained a core muscle injury in a practice session on Oct. 6 while riding two practice bulls.
“I feel good,” Leme told PBR.com during check-in for the 2021 PBR World Finals on Tuesday. “I am excited to return. I normally don’t do this, stay this long without getting on bulls. I couldn’t, but now I am ready to ride again, and I am just excited.”
Leme will take a 590-point lead on No. 2 Pacheco into the World Finals after putting forth what could very well be one of the greatest seasons in PBR history despite missing eight events this year because of a series of injuries. No. 3 Davis (-749 points) and No. 4 Vieira (-1,044 points) are still mathematically in contention for the world title as well.
Leme was diagnosed by Dr. Tandy Freeman last month with a core muscle injury affecting a total of four muscles on his right side – two of his groin/thigh muscles, as well as an abdominal and oblique muscle.
The 2017 PBR World Finals event winner wants to say he is fully recovered, but he knows he won’t get a true answer until he rides on Wednesday night in Round 1.
“Now I think I am 100%,” Leme said. “It is a hard situation, this injury. When you think you are good, maybe it is not what you think. If I am not riding, I don’t know how it is going to work.”
Leme has drawn Little Voodoo Jacket (6-1, UTB) in Round 1 (10 p.m. ET CBS Sports Network).
“I love my draw,” Leme said. “I think this draw is the best draw for everybody in the PBR history. Every bull is exactly what every rider wants. That was a perfect draw for me. I think this will test me.”
Leme has shattered the single-season record for 90-point rides on the premier series with 21 while also putting together seven event wins and 19 round wins. Leme needs one additional round win to break J.B. Mauney’s single-season record.
“I feel I am ready,” Leme said. “I feel I am confident to win again. I have had a magic season. Big numbers. Big rides. I unfortunately had a couple injuries, too. Maybe if not (for) that, I probably would have had more points now. But everything happens for a reason.”
The 25-year-old has been rehabbing under the care of Jim Bui at Fit-N-Wise Rehabilitation & Performance Center in Decatur, Texas, and he has plans of participating in daily cryotherapy sessions in Las Vegas.
“He was focused throughout the entire process, disciplined, resilient, and hungry,” Bui said. “He never questioned anything that we did and fully trusted the process. He made the rehab process look as easy as him riding the bulls.
“There were a lot of things we wanted to accomplish together. We had to make sure we were on the same page and had the same goals to be sure he got where he needed to be. At the beginning, we wanted to be sure we got his swelling down and range of motion back to where he was at before he had his initial injury. After that, we worked on his strength, then continued on to work on fast-twitch muscle fibers and balance. This second time around when he re-injured his groin, he had also injured part of his abdominal muscle too, which we wanted to be sure we worked on a lot of lower abdominal strengthening. I believe that if we get a lot of small wins in rehab, it builds confidence in the athlete.”
Leme has not attempted any practice bulls since he was injured on those two practice bulls in the beginning of October, but he says rust should not be a factor.
“No. I don’t think so,” Leme said about being rusty. “I have been working a lot on my body, and I am doing a lot of workouts and keeping my body in shape. I think I am ready to go. I just have not gotten on bulls, but I am still working.”
The five-time PBR World Finals qualifier did sit on a practice bull a week ago and rode on horseback to test out his ability to squeeze his legs, and Leme was happy with how he felt.
Leme knows that a season of greatness could go for naught if he does not finish the job this week in Las Vegas and become the second rider in PBR history to win back-to-back PBR World Championships.
“I feel like now I have to finish that,” Leme said. “I have to. I still feel very confident. I don’t think this injury will change anything about this Finals. I will be here whether I feel good or not. I will try to do my best, and try to be there, but I hope that don’t get worse and I can do my 100%.”
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko
Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media