It has been a long road for saddle bronc rider Wade Sundell. After capturing his first World Title in 2018, Sundell was injured in 2019 after a horse smashed him in the chutes.
Sundell suffered internal injuries including a lacerated liver and doctors told him that he was within centimeters of severing an artery and bleeding out. Sundell would spend two weeks in a medically induced coma before returning home to start his recovery.
A year later Sundell returned in late July and won his first rodeo back in action and making a push to finish 45th in the world a season ago.
Wade got his first win of the season at the Guymon Pioneer Days Rodeo where he went 89 points and earned a check of $3,638.
WADE SUNDELL, 89 POINTS, GUYMON PIONEER DAYS RODEO
Sundell continued his solid riding with wins at the Crossett Riding PRCA Rodeo and the Durant Pro Rodeo over the same weekend. He would follow that up with an 88 point ride and win at the Cinch World’s Toughest Rodeo and two weeks after that Sundell took the first round at the Jordan Match XTreme Bronc Ride with an 89.5 point ride.
Wade posted one of his two 90 point rides on the season at the Cody Stampede where he won the rodeo and a $4,907 check.
WADE SUNDELL, 90 POINTS, CODY STAMPEDE
Thanks to that run, between May 17th and July 5th, Sundell jumped up from 22nd place to 15th place in the World Standings. With work left to do, Sundell would have to continue to ride well to make his 8th career NFR.
Sundell finished the season on a high note, between August 22nd and August 29th, Sundell won a total of $22,616. The week started with a big win in Gardiner, Montana where he went 87.5 points for a check of just under $5,000.
He would follow that up with another 87.5 point ride three days later for a second-place finish at Kitsap Stampede. The next day Sundell would have his biggest performance of the 2021 season at the XTreme Broncs Finals in Rapid City.
Sundell went 88.5 points in round one to take the win and would go 90 points in the finals for a third-place finish. The two rides earned him more than $12,000.
WADE SUNDELL, XTREME BRONC FINALS, 88.5 POINTS
Sundell wasn’t done, however. Less than 24 hours later Sundell won the Gem State Stampede with an 88.5 point ride.
In total, Sundell earned $79,160 on the season and will enter the NFR in the No. 13 position.