Kleier: Why bull riding record means so much to me

Family of Clermont cowboy on hand to witness his ride into PBR history.

Clermont's Aaron Kleier on his way to winning a history-making third consecutive PBR Australia championship. Photo: Contributed

CLERMONT’S Aaron Kleier prides himself on consistency and believes his history-making achievement at the weekend is the greatest possible endorsement of that.

The 22 year old became the first bull rider to win three consecutive PBR Australia championships.

He was on top of the national rankings heading into the PBR Australia Monster Energy Tour grand finals in Townsville and finished third to clinch the 2020 title and a place in the record books.

“It means a lot to me because I like to stay consistent, trying to ride every bull,” Kleier said.

“To win three in a row shows that I’ve stayed consistent over the years.

“I always dreamed of doing that and being able to stay at the top for a long time.”

Kleier went 3-for-5 in the grand finals.

He scored 84.25 points for his Round 1 ride on Bad Moon (Dunne Bulls) for 84.25 points before being bested by Mighty Whitey in Round 2.

Champion Aaron Kleier: “A lot of my family were up there to support me through the weekend.”

“I was a little bit cranky with myself that I fell off that one bull, but I tried not to let it affect me too much because I had to focus on the next night,” he said.

Kleier then went 2-for-2 in on Saturday night, riding Seek and Destroy (Dunne Bulls) for 76.75 points and Forever Amen (Brandenburg Bucking Bulls) for 84.5 points.

“The most pleasing ride was that last one because I had to make it to make it to the short round and that guaranteed me the win,” he said.

Kleier was bested by Cattle King Boogers Beach (Dittmann Bucking Bulls) in the championship round but he had already done enough to get the monumental win.

He received the coveted buckle as well as $11,700, the biggest pay cheque of his career in Australia.

“A lot of my family were up there to support me through the weekend, and it was real good having them there,” he said.

Kleier is now closing in on New South Welshman David Kennedy who has won four championships, the most in league history.

“If I’m in Australia, I would like to win another one,” he said.

“I really want to get over to the USA and ride there but it’s hard to know, with everything that’s going on, when that will be happening.”