Jose Vitor Leme Looks to Return to Competition Following Injury
The Great Return of Jose Vitor Leme to Professional Bull Rider. After a record-setting season in 2021, Jose Vitor Leme is still looking for his first action in 2022 following a late season groin injury. Overcoming injury is nothing new to the 25-year-old from Brazil, missing three events after suffering an ankle fracture at the beginning of 2021.
Last season, Leme had the two highest-scoring rides in the history of PBR, including a record 24 90-plus point rides, 21 round wins, and a record-tying eight event victories. Leme missed the last five events with groin injury, but still easily won his second consecutive World Championships, becoming only the second to do so in the nearly three-decade history of PBR.
Leme has been rehabbing at Fit-N-Wise Rehabilitation & Performance Center in Decatur, Texas. His core muscle injury is affecting two of his groin muscles as well as an oblique and abdominal, all on the right side.
The third missed elite event, which was televised, could be the last the Leme misses. He is entirely focused on feels he will be 100 percent recovered in time for competition at the PBR Gwinnett Invitational in Duluth, Georgia, January 22-23. If all goes well, Leme will then travel to Sacramento, California to finish January at the PBR Wrangler Love Live Cowboys Classic Presented by Bass Pro Shops.
It’s difficult to imagine Leme topping what he accomplished in 2021, which included 25 top-ten finishes, 12 wins, and four consecutive wins to end the year. Should Leme return to 100 percent health, topping 2021 isn’t out of the question.
Video of Jose Vitor Leme’s heroic ride through injury:
