Richmond Champion ended his decorated 15-year bareback riding career with a sensational 90-point ride aboard Shadow Warrior at the Calgary Stampede on Sunday, July 5, 2026. The victory marked a triumphant farewell for the 33-year-old cowboy from Stevensville, Montana.
Emotional Final Ride
Champion, fighting back tears after the ride, said, “You can’t write this stuff, you know? I knew it was pretty slim chances to make it back to Showdown Sunday, so I had pretty full intentions of (Sunday) being the last one. And if it worked out differently, then great. I mean … in a perfect world, you get to be 90 and walk away a winner? I’m barely holding it together.”
The ride on Shadow Warrior was especially meaningful, as Champion had won on the same horse 12 years earlier at the Denver rodeo. “When I found out I had him, I got thinking that I won Denver on him 12 years ago, and that was the last time I’d been on him,” he said.
A Career of Highlights
Champion’s career includes winning the Calgary Stampede in both 2017 and 2018. He also cited his one-day, $1.1-million haul from The American Rodeo in Dallas at age 21 as his finest achievement. “The Calgary Stampede has just been such a special part of my career. I mean … anyone can ask me what my favourite rodeo is, and it’s a no-brainer, and so it was a no-brainer when I decided to be done here,” he added.
Champion made the decision to retire a few months before the Stampede, after struggling to find his motivation. He teaches clinics in Miles City, Montana, focusing on safety, technique, nutrition, fitness, equipment, and mindset. “Whenever I teach my clinics in Miles City, I make sure all my guys that are getting on have a ‘why’ before they get on, because it’s a dangerous sport,” he explained. After asking himself what his own ‘why’ was, he realized, “Because it’s what I’ve always done” wasn’t enough. He decided to finish his career on his own terms, saying, “Now my why has been to take my career out just as best as I could — and I think we did that.”
Canadian Women Win in Barrel Racing
In ladies barrel racing, Quebec native Julie Plourde, now of Krum, Texas, posted the fastest time of the day at 17.17 seconds, jumping into the top three after three days of Pool A competition.
