Triplett wins his first PBR event

Matt Triplett, of Columbia Falls, won his first Professional Bull Riders Built Ford Tough series event on Jan. 25 at the Express Employment Professionals Invitational at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City.

Triplett dominated the first three rounds, which offset his not scoring in the championship go on the final day, when he was bucked off Cooper Tires Brown Sugar.

He totaled 615 points in Oklahoma City, which now leaves him just 25 points behind Silvano Alves, of Brazil, the current leader in the PBR world standings.

Triplett has won $73,939.81 so far this season and has a 61.54 percent success rate.

Triplett is enjoying a sensational January on the circuit. He finished second in Chicago, seventh in Baltimore and 12th in New York. Up next is a PBR event in Sacramento, Calif. on Jan. 30 and 31. He said yoga has been helping him, a lot.

“I’ve got to credit what I’m doing right now to how healthy I am both mentally and physically,” he told PBR after the event. “I’ve been working out off and on at Michael Johnson Performance and doing yoga five to six days a week, which has helped me so much with my flexibility and focus. I’m just trying to have fun this year and it seems to be working out for me.”