Team USA Wolves’ Dirteater Dealing With Ankle Injury; Manchester Injury Updates
By: Justin Felisko
MANCHESTER, N.H. – Ryan Dirteater could barely put any weight on his left ankle Sunday afternoon following his 87.5-point ride on Buffalo Scott during Round 2 of the Manchester Invitational.
Ever so gingerly, Dirteater tried to limp his way back to the locker room.
Dirteater has been dealing with a left ankle injury since before the season started after getting injured in the practice pen before the Unleash The Beast season-opener in New York City.
For the most part, Dirteater had been able to overcome the injury, but the pain reached a new level this weekend inside SNHU Arena. Dirteater was unable to compete in the championship round after landing on his feet following that Round 2 ride.
Dirteater becomes the latest Global Cup rider to hit the injury report with the 2020 WinStar World Casino and Resort Global Cup USA, presented by Monster Energy, less than a month away.
According to Dr. Tandy Freeman, Dirteater – one of the veteran leaders of the Team USA Wolves – is questionable for next weekend’s Wrangler Long Live Cowboys Classic in Sacramento, California.
Dirteater said before Round 2 that he would consider getting X-rays on his ankle this week back home in Oklahoma.
The 30-year-old is the No. 9-ranked rider in the world standings. He trails No. 1 Jess Lockwood by 193 points through the first three Unleash The Beast events.
Meanwhile, fellow Wolf Colten Jesse is now on the injury report with a bruised left hamstring after he was stepped on following his 87.5-point ride on Big Shot in Round 2. The injury did not slow Jesse down, though, as he went on to ride Bad Beagle for 88.75 points in the championship round and a second-place finish in Manchester.
In other injury news, Dylan Smith missed Championship Sunday following a concussion he sustained in Round 1 after his 4.44-second buckoff against Picking Up Pennies on Saturday night. According to Freeman, Smith is questionable for Sacramento.
Derek Kolbaba was diagnosed with a bruised right chest in Round 1 following his 7.2-second buckoff vs. Ready Red. Kolbaba competed on Sunday, but Fire Wired bucked him off in 3.72 seconds in Round 2.
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko
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