PUEBLO, Colo. – In back-to-back offseasons, two-time World Champion Jose Vitor Leme has returned home to Brazil with something special in tow for his family and friends.
Last year, it was his first gold buckle. This year, and rightfully so, Leme’s second gold buckle took a backseat to his son, Theodore.
Jose Vitor and his wife, Amanda, welcomed their first child to the world this past February, and Leme’s parents had yet to meet him. Jose Vitor expressed how grateful he has been to be spending as much time as possible with his family this holiday season.
“My parents love him so much,” Leme told PBR.com on Wednesday. “I am taking a lot of pictures with Theo and them. Honestly, I want to save this moment. We are not here every day, so I have to save these moments. I am trying to post a lot of pictures on Instagram.”
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Leme will be attempting to make further PBR history in 2022 after posting arguably the greatest season in PBR history last year when he won a second consecutive world title. No rider has ever won three consecutive world titles, and three-time World Champion Silvano Alves was the only rider to even come close with a runner-up finish to J.B. Mauney in 2013.
However, Leme told PBR.com that his season debut might be a moving target depending on how his core muscle injury from last season has healed.
Leme is set to return from Brazil the first week of January, and he will have a follow-up appointment with Dr. Tandy Freeman and undergo an MRI. He is hopeful he will be cleared to ride at the Monster Energy Buckoff at the Garden on Jan. 7-8, but he will be cautious.
The 25-year-old has already doctored out of the Unleash The Beast season-opener on New Year’s Day in Indianapolis (8 p.m. ET CBS Sports Network).
“My plan is to go back on Jan. 3 or 4 and see Tandy and see what he says about it,” Leme said. “I want to take some MRIs to see how the injury goes. I am not doing any (physical therapy) in Brazil. I have not had time. I am just trying to enjoy my time with family and friends. I am traveling a lot here. I drive a lot. I spend a lot of time on the road. Almost every day, I am in a different city. I don’t have time to do physical therapy now, but I am running again and am playing soccer with my friends. I am just relaxing. Nothing crazy or professional.”
Leme’s injury dates back to Sept. 19, when he partially tore his right groin during his winning 90.75-point points on Slingin Tears in Newark, New Jersey. Leme then made things worse by returning to a practice session too soon on Oct. 6 and sustaining a core muscle injury.
The No. 1-ranked bull rider in the world missed the final five events of the regular season, but he returned to competition at the World Finals just as dominant, going a perfect 6-for-6 to win his second gold buckle and World Finals event title.
At the World Finals, it was in Round 4 when he first reaggravated his core muscle injury as he rode Top Shelf for 91.25 points. Things only got worse the following day when he had to be carried to the PBR Sports Medicine Room following a 92.5-point effort on WSM’s Jive Turkey, which eventually clinched him the world title.
Even so, Leme went on to post the greatest ride in PBR history, winning the World Finals in walk-off fashion via a sensational 98.75 points on 2021 YETI World Champion Bull Woopaa.
Fans can relive Leme’s historic World Finals during the upcoming airing of Chasing Greatness Sunday at 10 p.m. ET on RidePass on Pluto TV.
It has been almost two months since Leme’s ride on Woopaa. The reigning World Champion says his body does feel better, but he won’t know for sure how much he has healed until he meets with Dr. Freeman in Dallas.
“It is going to be the first thing I do when I put my feet down in the USA: see Tandy,” Leme said. “I feel good, but I still feel some pain and the injury. I feel the injury is still here, but not like it was at the Finals or before. I am feeling better, but I think I need to do physical therapy. I know it is getting better. I just need a couple weeks, or maybe a week, of therapy at Fit-N-Wise, but I am not sure. I need to see Tandy and see what he says.
“I am going to try to be in New York. I want to start my season there, but I don’t know.”
Leme proved last season that even if he has to miss time – injuries kept him from competing at eight events in total – that he could still win the world title.
Barring a significant setback in his recovery, Leme begins 2022 in a tier of his own.
Leme set or tied six PBR records this year: most round wins in a season (21); most 90-point rides in a season (24); first perfect 50-point rider score; highest-marked qualified ride of all time (98.75 points); average ride score for a season (89.82 points) and most event wins in a season (tied with 8).
Leme was victorious at 40% of the events he competed at.
He went 49-for-71 (69.01%) and ended the season with 12 consecutive rides.
“I would be lying if I wasn’t like everybody else just wondering to see what else Jose can do,” two-time World Champion Justin McBride said. “That is really my biggest thing, seeing how much more great stuff can he do.”
Leme knows he cannot miss too much time this year if he wants to win a third gold buckle.
The 2022 Unleash The Beast season is compacted into a five-month run of 18 regular-season events before the 2021 World Finals begins on May 13 in Fort Worth, Texas, at Dickies Arena.
“It is not going to be easy if you miss a couple events and if you’re out a couple events like I did last year,” Leme admitted. “But an example; last year, I missed eight events, and I still win the world title. I think this year is going to be harder if you have an injury or something like that, if you have to stay out for a while, because it will be a shorter season.
“But I will be okay. I don’t think I am going to miss too many events.”
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko
Photo courtesy of Todd Brewer/Bull Stock Media