Story and photos from promotocross.com

Current Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship 450 Class point leader Eli Tomac added another highly esteemed accolade to an already decorated career after earning the ESPY Award for Best Athlete, Men’s Action Sports at ESPN’s annual celebration of sports on Wednesday night. It was the first nomination for the Colorado native, who now joins Ryan Dungey as the only motocross athletes to win the fan-voted award.

Thanks to the rallying support of the motocross and greater powersports community, Tomac tallied the most votes in the category, which also featured freestyle skier Alex Hall (USA), Olympic Gold winning snowboarder Ayumu Hirano (JPN), and Olympic Gold winning skateboarder Yuto Horigome (JPN).

Tomac’s nomination came as a result of an incredible Monster Energy AMA Supercross campaign this past winter, where in his debut season with Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing Tomac took home seven victories and 11 podium finishes to capture his second 450SX Class title in three seasons. That success has now carried over into the summer Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, where Tomac is in the midst of a four-race winning streak and recently took control of the 450 Class points lead this past weekend. He holds a five-point lead with five rounds to go, eyeing a fourth premier class title.

“What an incredible accomplishment for Eli Tomac that is certainly well earned, but also long overdue,” said Davey Coombs, President, MX Sports Pro Racing. “We’ve known for many years that Eli is one of the sport’s all-time great competitors, but the time has finally come for that recognition to be acknowledged on a mainstream level. It’s a testament to his incredible talent and a relentless approach to his craft, and showcases the impressive size and commitment of the global motocross audience who made the effort to submit their votes for Eli. Now we’ll all have the opportunity to see if he can put the finishing touches on a dream season with another title in the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship.”