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Triplett to Miss 2020 PBR World Finals with Goal of Making Push at 2021 World Title

By: Justin Felisko

PUEBLO, Colo. – Matt Triplett had figured the only way he had to go was up when it came to the 2020 PBR World Finals in Arlington, Texas.

Triplett had finished runner-up last year the 2019 PBR World Finals with a 4-for-6 performance, and the 29-year-old was confident he could be a dark horse contender this year inside AT&T Stadium and claim the $300,000 event prize.

There was one condition, though.

Triplett had to believe he was healthy enough to get on the rankest bulls in the world for four days from Nov. 12-15.

“When I am feeling good, I feel like I can ride anything,” Triplett said.

The current No. 21-ranked bull rider in the world took the last few weeks to rehab his hip and groin injuries and mulled over what would be his best decision after he could barely walk out of the Days of ’47 Arena in Salt Lake City on Aug 21.

 
Triplett was on the verge of cracking the Top 10 of the world standings at the time of his injury.

Unfortunately for Triplett, he has decided to move forward with getting a head start on his 2021 season vs. trying to grit out one final showing in 2020 at the World Finals.

Triplett announced Tuesday that his 2020 season is over, and that he will undergo hip surgery on Nov. 5.

“If I hurt now, there is no way I am going to be able to go get on the best bulls in the world,” Triplett said. “I wasn’t going to go there unless I know I could win. If I can’t win, there is no point to get on those bulls because you can get more hurt. So I will get it fixed on Nov. 5 and be back in the middle of January no matter what.”

Renowned surgeon Dr. J.W. Thomas Byrd will perform the operation in Nashville.

The good news for Triplett is he will only be facing a 12-week recovery instead of possibly six months. An MRI earlier this summer also showed Triplett has a partially torn groin, but Triplett explained that will not have to be surgically repaired.

“My whole career I guess I have had a bone spur on my hip, and it keeps bumping together,” Triplett said. “If it goes over 90% then I would have to get my whole hip replaced, and I don’t want to do that. This is just something from wear and tear over the years. I have heard guys say they weren’t going to get it fixed, but then it can ruin your career in some cases. I’ve probably got four or five more years in me before I think about retirement.

“If I want to be healthy for a world title, I’ve got to do it.”

Triplett had his season cut short in Salt Lake City when he rode Tailgate Party for 88 points.

The Columbia Falls, Montana, native was sitting tied for third in the event, and he could have pursued the event win before Dr. Tandy Freeman advised him against riding.

 
“In Salt Lake, the night I got hurt, I rode a younger bull no one really knows of,” Triplett recalled. “I love bulls away from my hand, too, so that was just icing on the cake, too. He kicked over his head and went around to the left. Jerome Davis after the event said I should have won the round, and I couldn’t disagree because I thought he bucked.

“Tandy then said it is probably not a good idea to get on (the next day). I was pissed. Going into the last day in third place is good. I had a great bull of D&H’s and it was my weekend to make it happen. In the long run, though, there was many more battles to be won.”

Triplett is going to focus now on the ultimate battle, of course, which is a 2021 World Championship.

The soon-to-be seven-time PBR World Finals qualifier went only 15-for-41 (36.59%) this season, and he has learned throughout his career that health is crucial for his success in the arena. Triplett posted 33 qualified rides in back-to-back seasons (2014/2015), finishing third and fifth in the world standings, before a series of injuries slowed him down.

Triplett tore ligaments in his right riding arm at the 2015 PBR World Finals and needed reconstructive surgery. Five months later, his return lasted four weeks before he needed left shoulder surgery. Triplett was surging in 2017 and on the outskirts of the world title race before he tore his left labrum in September and needed surgery once again.

Triplett was relatively healthy in 2019, finishing seventh in the world standings, and he is hopeful 2021 will be a healthy return to the Top 5 and gold buckle contention.

Most of all, his decision to get surgery next month also has to do with his long-term health.

“I want to be 50 and not have to be limping around,” Triplett concluded.

Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko

Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media

© 2020 PBR Inc. All rights reserved.

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