Hamilton Survives to Win First PRCA Bull Riding World Championship

Writer Brian Hurlburt takes us into the minds and hearts of the PRCA World Champions who clinched titles during the 2023 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo®

Bull Riding at the 2023 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo was a little more grueling than usual. Some of the competitors in the gut-wrenching event didn’t make it through all 10 rounds, while others survived but lasting damage was done.

Such was the case for Ky Hamilton, who earned his first PRCA World Championship in 2023, He gutted it out night after night to clinch the title over Josh Frost and Stetson Wright (one of those who didn’t make it through all 10 nights). He even overcame being knocked out cold by Honeycutt Rodeo’s Bales Hay’s MAGA in round five. In fact, Hamilton placed third in round 6 and won round 7 with the only qualifying ride.

Hamilton earned a staggering $595,414.06 in season earnings en route to the sweet Gold Buckle of which this blog is named. However, injuries sustained along the way led to surgery post-NFR (more on that in a few paragraphs).

Just moments after the 10^th go-round in 2023, this writer asked Hamilton how he was doing mentally and physically. A beleaguered Hamilton, leaning on a wall for support, basically said “don’t ask” with a devilish look on his face.

In early June 2024, Hamilton took time to reflect on the 2023 NFR during a media shoot at the Thomas & Mack Center and around Las Vegas.

“It was a pretty fun two weeks and a lot happened,” Hamilton said in a huge understatement. “A lot more than I thought could happen in two weeks did, but it was a great experience, a great time. It is going to be a memory I will always cherish. 

“It was definitely one of those finals where I got both ends of the deck dealt to me. There was a lot of winning, but there were some rough wrecks and rough nights, too. But that’s bull riding. One minute you’re on the top, the next minute you’re on the bottom. It was a roller coaster of emotions, but at the end of the day, I came there to do a job and that was to win a world title. I wasn’t going to shy away from it.”

For the laymen and non-bull riders amongst us, it is almost incomprehensible how difficult it must be to survive one night on a bull, let alone 10. Hamilton admitted that it can be challenging, but that he isn’t in it alone.

Hamilton, 24, hails from Australia and has qualified for the NFR four times. He remembered being asked how he felt following the 10^th round in 2023 and took a little more time to answer when asked again.

“I have a good support crew behind me and a lot of guys with old school cowboy mentalities,” Hamilton said. “When you’re around guys like that, it rubs off on you. So, the key is being old school and being a true cowboy about things. And not losing sight of what you came there to do.”

“It was probably one of the sorest moments I had ever been in, but at the end of it, it was pretty rewarding to know that I was able to battle through it and still come out and talk to you and the other media and friends and family,” Hamilton said. “It is just a mentality you build over the years and by being around the right people, being around winners. That toughness is something I work on all the time.”

In February 2024, Hamilton underwent labrum surgery and the expected rehab was six months. At the time of this interview, he was not yet back competing, but still had his eyes on the NFR.

“I came here to the NFR last year wanting to win one world title, but then I always knew once I got that first one, I would want to see how many more I could win,” Hamilton said. “I have a lot of years left, so I am going to try and rack up as many gold buckles as I can.

“The NFR is the best 10 days in rodeo you will ever experience. The money is outstanding, the atmosphere is outstanding, the stock is outstanding, everything about it is outstanding. It’s a party and one hell of a rodeo.”Here’s hoping Hamilton is back seeking Gold Buckle #2 in 2024.