Paralympian vanishes after flying to Vegas to watch WrestleMania 41
A Paralympic cyclist from the UK is missing after traveling to Las Vegas earlier this month in hopes of attending WrestleMania 41, his loved ones said Sunday.
Samuel Ruddock, 35, never checked out of his hostel April 15 and left some of his belongings behind, his mother, Fran Ruddock, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Ruddock, who has cerebral palsy, traveled from the UK to the US on April 13 with plans to attend WrestleMania 41 at Allegiant Stadium on April 19-20.
On April 16, he shared a video on Instagram showing him riding through downtown Las Vegas in the passenger seat of a convertible Austin Healey with a man identified only as 'Steve.'
6 British Paralympian Samuel Ruddock is missing after traveling to Las Vegas earlier this month.
PA Images via Getty Images
At the end of the video, 'Steve' drops Ruddock off at the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, made famous by the TV show 'Pawn Stars.'
'He flew on the 13th, I've got confirmation that he landed, I absolutely know Sam was in Vegas,' Ruddock's friend, Lucy Earl, told The Guardian. 'The concerning part is he went silent from the 16th and, because he is such a big presence on social media, people were quite fast to notice.'
Earl said she contacted police in Las Vegas as well as The Bungalows Hostel on Las Vegas Boulevard, where Ruddock was staying, to try and find out more information.
Shortly before his disappearance, he reportedly messaged his friends asking for money, his mother said.
6 Ruddock, 35, flew to Vegas with hopes of going to WrestleMania 41.
@sam.ruddock/Instagram
6 The athlete, who has cerebral palsy, has competed for Great Britain in various Paralympic events.
Getty Images
He is 'very unsteady on his feet and walks with a limp,' his mother told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. 'He can easily be knocked over.'
On April 20, friend Lucy Hatton reached out to the United States Embassy in London for help.
6 Ruddock did not check out of his hostel and left some belongings behind, his mom said.
She last heard from Ruddock on April 16, she told the Review-Journal.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and The Bungalows Hostel did not respond immediately to Post requests for comment.
6 He was last heard from in Vegas on April 16.
Bloomberg
Ruddock is a Paralympic athlete for the Great Britain Cycling Team's para squad.
He won gold medals at 2022 and 2023 World Cycling Championships.
6 In Ruddock's most recent social media post, he shared a video of himself in a convertible being driven through downtown Las Vegas.
@sam.ruddock/Instagram
He also coaches American football at Loughborough University in the UK, where he trained for the Paralympics.
'He is larger than life, he has a wonderful soul,' his mother said.
Cycling authorities in the UK have urged anyone with information to get in touch with police.
'British Cycling understands that para-cyclist Sam Ruddock was reported missing to UK and US police and Interpol after not being heard from since Wednesday, 16 April 2025, while visiting Las Vegas, USA,' the sports organization said in a statement.
'We urge anyone who has been in contact with Sam since 16 April or may have any information of his whereabouts to contact their local police department as soon as possible.'
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