Tim O’Connell in Round 7 at the 2016 NFR

Now a 3X world champion bareback rider, Tim O’Connell was hungry for his first gold buckle in 2016.

His hard work and tenacity paid off — in his third year qualifying for the National Finals, O’Connell split round 2 and placed in seven rounds to take the world title for the first time.

In the seventh round, O’Connell rode Andrews Rodeo Company’s Cool Water for a score of 83.5 points, heading back to the pay window.

Watch all of 2016’s Round 7 tonight at 8:00PM EST during the ProRodeo 40 Nights of NFR!