Wyatt Gleeson Wins Sold-Out PBR Canada Cup Series Event in Kelowna, British Columbia, to Crack Top 10 in 2023 National Title Race
By: Kacie Albert Friday, July 21, 2023 @ 9:59 AM
KELOWNA, B.C. – In front of a sold-out Thursday night crowd in Kelowna, British Columbia, Wyatt Gleeson (Sundre, Alberta) rode supreme as the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Canada Cup Series, presented by Wrangler, returned to Prospera Place, going a perfect 2-for-2 to win the Okanagan Challenge.
Gleeson first put points on the board in Round 1 when he topped Bow Before Me (Vold Rodeo/Prescott) for 84.5 points.
With the third pick in the championship round bull draft, the Albertan selected Wolf Bait (Vold Rodeo), a decision proved dividends. Remaining in perfect time with the powerful animal athlete Gleeson reached the requisite 8, marked a commanding 88 points to clinch the victory.
Compliments of the win, Gleeson left Kelowna with a crucial 113.5 national points. He surged from No. 20 to No. 10 in the heated 2023 PBR Canada Championship race, inching within 188.5 national points.
Atop the national standings, No. 1 Nick Tetz (Calgary, Alberta) was unable to extend his lead, while No. 2 Coy Robbins (Camrose, Alberta) gained ground on his countryman courtesy of a sixth-place finish.
For Tetz, he was tasked with Upstairs Basement (Shay Marks) in the opening round. Tetz, however, was unable to reach the whistle, tossed in 3.5 seconds.
Robbins garnered 30 national points via his 1-for-2 showing.
The 2017 PBR Canada Rookie of the Year delivered the second-best score of Round 1, awarded 85 points atop Up Roar (Shay Marks), as the electric crowd erupted in raucous cheer. In the final round, Robbins was unable to continue his momentum bucked off by High Voltage (Wilson Rodeo) in 2.66 seconds.
While Robbins began the sixth Canadian Cup Series event of the year 105.84 points back of No. 1 Tetz, he is now within 75.84 points of the top spot.
Returning to the top of the event leaderboard, defending PBR Okanagan Challenge event winner Brock Radford (De Winton, Alberta) finished second to Gleeson by a mere point.
Radford rode Limpy (Shay Marks) for 82.5 points in Round 1, before recording the high-marked ride of the event in the championship round when he teamed with Langham Kid (Two Bit Bucking Bulls) for an 89-poitn score.
Collecting 89 national points, the Albertan standout rose 13 spots in the national standings, climbing from No. 36 to No. 23 as he seeks his first PBR Canada Championship this November.
As the final rider to conquer both of his draws, Ashton Sahli (Red Deer, Alberta) was third, garnering 67.5 Canadian points.
In Round 1, Sahli rode Sippin Tequilla (Matejka Farms Bucking Bulls) for 81 points to punch his ticket to the championship round.
Next squaring off with Shallow Creek (Vold Rodeo), Sahli concluded the tour stop with a score, covering the bull for 88 points to cement his podium finish.
The bronze showing propelled Sahli from No. 22 to No. 14 in the national standings.
Fourth was Blake Smith (Abbey, Saskatchewan).
Smith’s 89-point ride aboard Grey Day (Vold Rodeo) in the championship round secured him 44 national points. He gained two positions in the 2023 Canadian standings, climbing from No. 11 to No. 9.
Rounding out the Top 5 in fifth was Garret Green (Meeting Creek, Alberta).
Green went 1-for-2, besting Trapped (Vold Rodeo/Prescott) for 85.5 points in Round 1 to net 45 national points.
In the bull pen, Rico (Vold Rodeo/Robinson) and Wolf Bait bucked supreme, tying for the YETI “Built for the Wild” Bull of the Event. Each awarded a tour stop-best 44 points in the championship round, Rico earned the marks when he tossed Cauy Schmidt (Coronation, Alberta) in 1.59 seconds, while Wolf Bait scored the points via his event winning ride with Gleeson.
The 2023 PBR Canada Sup Series, presented by Wrangler, will next travel to Grande Prairie, Alberta, and Bonnetts Energy Centre for the PBR Peace Country Invitational on Saturday, September 30, and Sunday, October 1. Action will get underway at 7 p.m. MT on September 30 and 2 p.m. MT on October 1.
Stay tuned in to PBRCanada.com and follow the tour on Facebook (PBR Canada), Twitter (@PBRCanada), and Instagram (@PBRCanada) for the latest results, news, stats and more.
PBR Canada Cup Series, presented by Wrangler
PBR Okanagan Challenge
Prospera Place – Kelowna, British Columbia
(Round 1-Round 2-Event Aggregate-Event Points)
1. Wyatt Gleeson, 84.5-88-172.50-113.5 Points.
2. Brock Radford, 82.5-89-171.50-89 Points.
3. Ashton Sahli, 81-88-169.00-67.5 Points.
4. Blake Smith, 0-89-89.00-44 Points.
5. Garrett Green, 85.5-0-85.50-45 Points.
6. Coy Robbins, 85-0-85.00-30 Points.
7. Jake Dunham, 80-0-80.00-20 Points.
Nick Tetz, 0-0-0.00
Dakota Buttar, 0-0-0.00
Aaron Roy, 0-0-0.00
Chad Hartman, 0-0-0.00
Stefan Tonita, 0-0-0.00
Tyler Craig, 0-0-0.00
Cody Coverchuk, 0-0-0.00
Weston Davidson, 0-0-0.00
Jake Gardner, 0-0-0.00
William Barrows, 0-0-0.00
Fabian Dueck, 0-0-0.00
Cauy Schmidt, 0-0-0.00
Jake Maher, 0-0-0.00
Micheal Ostashek, 0-0-0.00
Keaton Martz, 0-0-0.00
Toby Leake, 0-0-0.00
Tyson Salmon, 0-0-0.00
Brahmer Gaehring, 0-0-0.00