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Motocross rider Joel Evans' fiancee Michaela Hurt reveals pregnancy in gut-wrenching tribute after his death

Motocross rider Joel Evans' fiancee Michaela Hurt reveals pregnancy in gut-wrenching tribute after his death

7NEWS28-04-2025

The fiancee of motocross rider Joel Evans has revealed 'our silver lining' that she is pregnant, penning a gut-wrenching tribute following his death on Sunday.
Evans, 30, crashed in the top-level MX1 race at the ProMX Championship event in South Australia and later died in hospital.
Tributes flowed from around the sport on Monday before his partner Michaela Hurt shared that 'the hardest day of our lives has been made easier knowing a piece of you lives on'.
'Yesterday we lost the most incredible person on this earth,' Michaela wrote.
'The most authentic, loved and kind-hearted soul. He loved and devoted his life to this sport which brought him so much joy and he rode it out right till the end.
'We are so grateful for the outpouring of love and support for our beautiful man.
'He is such a loved partner, uncle, brother, friend and son but most proudly a father to our adored little boy who is joining us in October.
'Please share his name, share his legacy, this incredible man deserves to be remembered across the generations. We love you so much Joely.'
The long-time couple were engaged in October last year.
Evans' family shared their heartbreak and vowed to support Michaela and their unborn child.
'I am lost for words, but I'll try,' sister Alex wrote.
'On Sunday I lost so much more than a brother. You were my best friend, the godfather to my babies, it felt like twins, you were such a piece to my puzzle. My boys were so lucky to have you.
'To our best friend Michaela I wish I could take your heartache and pain. I promise to support, care and love for you and my gorgeous boy coming as best I can. The way Joely would want me to.
'To my family I'm sure people get through this, it will take time for us to navigate that.
'You are suppose to still be here, this was not the way it was meant to be, I don't want to believe it and in this moment I honestly am not sure how to do it without you.'
Alex married Evans' fellow professional motocross rider Luke Reardon, and the couple became parents for the second time in February.
'We were meant to do this together,' Alex wrote on a photo of Evans with Michaela's pregnancy test.
'Your little man will be so loved I can't explain. I'll make you proud and I guarantee Luke will step up like you did when he couldn't be there.'
Luke said he was 'speechless and hurting'.
'But looking back on our memories and what a hell of a time we have had over the years,' he wrote.
'From our racing days to training days to our little getaways, just the four of us, soon to be our extended family of seven. I'm going to miss it all.
'You left us far too soon mate, but I can tell you one thing! Your little man is going to grow up and make you so damn proud & his little cousins are going to be right there by his side.'
Evans' sister Renae had earlier described him as 'the best brother a girl could ask for and an even greater uncle for my girls'.
Evans, who also raced in Asia, had previously overcome a serious crash in 2015 that nearly left him paralysed.
After a week-long induced coma he learned how to walk again and returned to riding within a year.

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Why it was the right call to axe a legend

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DCE turns 37 in February and his only premiership came with the Sea Eagles back in 2011. Good luck to DCE if he scores another big contract to finish his career, but I reckon the Roosters would be better off concentrating on their young halves coming through rather than gambling on lightning striking twice. Lachlan Galvin joining Canterbury might actually improve Toby Sexton's chances of winning a new contract with the club. Sexton's move from halfback to hooker for the Bulldogs against Parramatta on the holiday Monday when Galvin came off the bench to play halfback gave Sexton the chance to display his versatility and he did a fine job with what was an unscripted move. He could become a valuable cover for the halves and hooker from the bench or maybe even challenge for the starting hooker role down the track. Sexton is a fantastic clubman too, which only adds to his appeal. Queensland must go back to what has served them best in desperate hours of need. They have to "want it" more than NSW or their hopes of keeping the State of Origin series alive will be blown apart in Perth next week. That attitude - combined with NSW looking like they thought they only had to do so much to win, a trap the Blues have fallen into plenty of times - has brought the Maroons many wins against the odds since Origin began in 1980. Comparing the two lineups on paper, it's very hard to see Queensland winning and the bookmakers agree. They've got NSW as hot favourites with the Maroons getting 8.5 points start at a neutral venue. The Blues won game one 18-6 on Queensland's home ground and the reality was the difference between the two teams was more like twice that 12-point advantage. There is also no form-line coming out of recent years that supports the idea of the Maroons turning this series around with a win in game two and sending it to a decider at Accor Stadium in Sydney on July 9. Queensland have traditionally fought back strongly in game two after NSW have taken a substantial advantage by winning game one. They won nine and lost nine of the first 18 game twos played under those circumstances, but the last two times the Blues have won the opening game - in 2018 and 2021 - they've gone on to clinch the series by winning game two. Queensland are coming off three straight Origin losses - games two and three last year and this year's opener. The last time they lost three in a row before that was games two and three in 2005 and the opener in 2006. The last time the Maroons lost four in a row was in 1996-97, when they actually lost five straight. They were clean swept in '96 and lost the first two in '97. The Maroons haven't scored a try 13 on 13 against the Blues in either of the last two Origins. Their only try came when the Blues were down to 12 men via a player in the sin bin in game one of this series. And NSW have a stunningly good record in game twos played at neutral venues. They have won seven out of eight such games, including the last five in a row and the only two that have been played in Perth - in 2019 and '22. Back when igniting a brawl was a good way of putting your opponents off their game the Maroons got excellent value out of that tactic. But now, because of the risk of leaving your team a man down for 10 minutes in the fastest game of rugby league that exists, no-one dares to throw a punch. It's all just push and shove and harsh words. No-one gets put off their game. Queensland coach Billy Slater did what he had to do and axed the under-performing veteran halfback and captain Daly Cherry-Evans for this game, promoting Tom Dearden from the bench to start in the number seven jumper. The Maroons need their forwards to turn up way better than they did in Origin I and for Dearden and his halves partner and new Queensland captain Cameron Munster to play out of their minds behind that. It'll help a lot if the Blues are off their game a bit. Maybe then, just maybe, the Maroons might have a shot at winning. Remember, it is Origin, and anything can happen. Queensland have got to hang on to that thought now as much as ever. Now that the State of Origin career of Cherry-Evans is over we wait to see what happens with his club career and what has been an interesting watch from the start is rapidly becoming a fascinating one. The strong mail all along since he declared this will be his last season with Manly is that he will play for Sydney Roosters next year, but still there is no confirmation. It makes you wonder if there hasn't been a firm deal done yet or the Roosters have got cold feet based on DCE's patchy recent club form and Origin sacking on top of that. Or both. The Roosters struck gold when they signed veteran halfback Cooper Cronk and he steered them to back-to-back premierships in 2018-19, but they're asking for a lot if they hope DCE can have a similar effect. MORE NRL NEWS Cronk had turned 34 in the December before he began playing for the Roosters and was undeniably still at the peak of his powers. He had won another premiership with Melbourne in 2017. DCE turns 37 in February and his only premiership came with the Sea Eagles back in 2011. Good luck to DCE if he scores another big contract to finish his career, but I reckon the Roosters would be better off concentrating on their young halves coming through rather than gambling on lightning striking twice. Lachlan Galvin joining Canterbury might actually improve Toby Sexton's chances of winning a new contract with the club. Sexton's move from halfback to hooker for the Bulldogs against Parramatta on the holiday Monday when Galvin came off the bench to play halfback gave Sexton the chance to display his versatility and he did a fine job with what was an unscripted move. He could become a valuable cover for the halves and hooker from the bench or maybe even challenge for the starting hooker role down the track. Sexton is a fantastic clubman too, which only adds to his appeal.

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