FreestyleXtreme Magazine Issue 15 | Page 33

A look behind
The Eigo Sato
Story and a word
from its director,
Hitoshi Kajino

Ride I
For
Life

N FEBRUARY OF 2013, 34-yearold Japanese FMX rider, Eigo
Sato, passed away after a crash
training near his home in Iwaki
City. The international outpouring
of grief that followed, from all
corners of the FMX community,
was a testament to how loved and
respected Eigo was.
Eigo was an integral part of FMX in
Japan, and did tremendous work
to raise the profile of the sport in
his homeland. From setting up the
country’s b iggest FMX competition
– GOBIG – to working at grassroots
with rider schools and charity events,
Eigo was generous with his time and
present at every level of the scene.

© JASON HALAYKO/RED BULL CONTENT POOL

WATCH THE
u

TRAILER

Internationally he was a regular fixture
on the Red Bull X-Fighters tour from
2005, and one of the most liked
characters in the paddock. A word
that kept popping up in tributes from
fellow-riders was “mentor” – he was
always keen to help those around
him. France’s Tom Pagès was a close
friend of Sato’s and paid tribute to
him on his way to claiming the 2013
X-Fighters title.
Eigo’s friend and filmmaker Hitoshi
Kajino had been gathering footage
before his death, for a project which
looked like it might now go away. But
thankfully Kajino was able to take his
footage as a jumping-off point for a
documentary which paints a portrait
of Eigo as an athlete, father, husband
son and friend. u

FreestyleXtreme.com | 33