Marchi’s misfortune benefits fellow Brazilian Palermo
Guilherme Marchi of Brazil came within four seconds of making "perfeito" — that’s "perfect" in Portuguese — on the final day of the Professional Bull Riders World Finals on Sunday.
Marchi, who won the PBR world championship Saturday night, was bucked off midway through his final ride to snap his Finals record string of seven consecutive rides.
Marchi’s only blip in seven days of competition at the Thomas & Mack Center enabled fellow Brazilian Robson Palermo to win the Finals title and its $250,000 bonus.
"I gave Palermo something. I tried to help you," Marchi joked to his friend about aiding his effort to win the aggregate title.
What came between Marchi and a perfect Finals before a crowd of 18,214 were two outstanding rides by Palermo on Sunday and a rank bull.
Palermo, 23, scored 92.75 points on Ricky Bobby in the seventh round and 87 in the eighth on Camo, a former bull of the year that is being retired.
Marchi, 26, was the last to ride in the final round of the top 15 and only needed to stay on for an eight-second count, but was bucked off Bones of Tom Teague Bucking Bulls, this year’s top bull.
Palermo edged Marchi 625.25 to 622.50 points to win the Finals aggregate.
"Guilherme got a tough bull for the (15-man) short-go," said Palermo, who overcame a broken leg and three concussions this season. "I was very confident after I saw I had Camo."
"God gave me a chance to win the championship and for (Palermo) to win the Finals," said Marchi, who was runner-up for the championship the past three years.
Palermo’s victory made it a clean sweep of major PBR titles by Brazilian riders this year.
"They are dominant," said Texan Reese Cates, 19, who won rookie of the year by completing six of his eight rides.
"They come over here with two things on their minds: to ride bulls and make money."
Marchi ended the season with earnings of $1.52 million; Palermo won $528,765.
"I’m done," a jubilant Marchi said after receiving the championship trophy. "I still don’t believe it. It’s my American dream."
Though former PBR champions Adriano Moraes and Justin McBride were bucked off their final rides before retiring, McBride won the seventh round with a 93.5-point ride on Pearl Snap to contribute to a Finals record of 38 rides scored 90 or better.
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Contact reporter Jeff Wolf at jwolf@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0247.
