Stawell resident Jai Walker has been invited to Europe with his scooter in his bag to compete at Nitro World Games on December 1.
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It will be Walker’s first visit to Europe after spending time abroad in North America fulfilling his dream of riding scooters.
In 2017 Walker was awarded a wildcard entry in the Nitro World Games but his dream run came to an end after withdrawing from the competition at the last minute due to injury.
Walker knocked himself out from the fall in a final practice session before the semi-finals, with officials ruling him out of the competition due to a concussion.
Hosted in Paris, the 2018 Nitro World Games will see the best scooters from around the world take part in the best trick category.
Walker will be performing tricks such as double front flips, tail whips, double backflip combos in his bid to impress the judges.
In the lead-up to the event, Walker will attend events around the state, such as the Australian Scooter Association Victorian Qualifier which he attended on Sunday.
The qualifier is one of a series of competitions which can enable participants to advance onto state and national events.
I need to keep myself injury free as I keep riding and do some exercise in preparation for the Games.
- Jai Walker
“I didn’t compete at the first one as I hurt my back in the morning before the event. I still have four I can compete in, so I will try again at the next one,” he said.
With less than six weeks until the Nitro World Games, Walker will be in Stawell and touring around Melbourne to various competitions in the lead-up to the event.
"It's unfortunate I can't practise as much as I would like close to home, as the closest indoor skate rink is in Geelong or Melbourne,” he said.
Walker said he was looking forward to visiting Paris for the first time.
“It’s going to be a great experience and I can’t wait to get there,” he said.
As injury clouds have crept over Walker’s competitions of late he said one major focus will be to keep injury free.
“I need to keep myself injury free as I keep riding and do some exercise in preparation for the Games. I will be looking to push myself a little further in an attempt to get ready and mentally prepare for the challenge,” he said.