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bmx

BETH SHRIEVER COMPLETES THE TREBLE WITH VICTORY AT THE 2021 BRITISH BMX CHAMPIONSHIPS

written by Hugh

42 British Champions were crowned this bank holiday weekend at the BMX British Championships, held at Huncote Hornets BMX track in Leicester. With Olympic gold medallist and World Champion Bethany Shriever in the lineup, along with Kye Whyte Olympic silver medallist, the crowd knew they were in for a show.

Saturday was the turn of the 12 and unders, along with the cruisers. Weather was perfect on what was the first day of 2 days of competition.

Among the winners were Harry Donald, who was defending his title racing up a age category in the male 10, racing on his home track he was undefeated all day taking the title.

A great battle was had in Female 11, with Lexi Waite and Jessica Marriott battling it out all the way to the line, elbow to elbow, wheel to wheel, positions between the two riders changing throughout the lap. Lexi took the win after a great battle.

The 30+ female cruiser was action packed with Michelle Stupple and Rebecca Gohl battling it out down the last straight for the win, but it wasn’t meant to be as they collided coming out of the last berm leaving Leah Pearson to take the win.

The action continued into Sunday which was the turn of the 13+, Junior Men, Superclass and Championship Women.

Full article and images – https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/about/article/20210831-Beth-Shriever-completes-the-treble-with-victory-at-the-2021-British-BMX-Championships-0

1st September 2021 0 comment

Cycling

Charlotte Worthington lands 360 backflip to win BMX Freestyle Park gold

written by Hugh

Former chef Charlotte Worthington cooked up another golden recipe for Team GB’s BMX stars.

After Bethany Shriever’s gold in the BMX Racing, Worthington won the first BMX Freestyle competition to ever take place at the Olympic Games, rewriting the history books in more ways than one.

An error on her first run left her needing to produce something spectacular – and how she did, landing a gravity defying 360 backflip that has never been landed by a woman in competition.

It meant she scored 97.50 out of a possible 100 to edge hot American favourite Hannah Roberts, who had scored 96.10 on her first run, into silver. Switzerland’s Nikia Ducarroz completed the podium.

Worthington only started competing in 2016 and secured her first World Cup podium within two years, the European champion honing her skills at Corby’s ‘Adrenaline Alley’.

Worthington, 25, from Manchester, said: “It’s kinda unreal, I’m waiting to wake up. I’ve been dreaming about this for four years, and it still feels like I’m dreaming four years ago, I’m still waiting to wake up.

“I didn’t put any pressure on myself. You go in and out of it, you’re thinking there is some pressure and maybe it’s not going to happen this time.

“But you’ve just got to let that go really quick and refocus. I tried not to have any pressure and I tried to focus on enjoying myself and taking it one trick at a time.

“It was incredible. I’ve not been doing that trick [the 360 backflip] for that long, we’ve been trying to find that big banger trick and when we found it we thought, ‘this is the one’.

“We put a lot of faith in that. To be honest, I wouldn’t have had any of those tricks if it wasn’t for Hannah [Roberts, silver medallist]. She’s made me push so hard since day one, this is the first time I’ve beaten her.

“If it wasn’t for Hannah Roberts, we wouldn’t be this far anyway.

“This is a lot of hard work paying off. But the hard work has mainly been on myself.

“Everyone at home, I couldn’t have done this without you.”

1st August 2021 0 comment

Cycling

Bethany Shriever wins gold and Kye Whyte silver in stunning BMX Racing double

written by Hugh

Bethany Shriever struck gold and Kye Whyte silver as Britain’s BMX stars dominated in Tokyo to win Team GB’s first Olympic medals in the sport.

Shriever went unbeaten through her three semi-final runs and surged out the start gate to open up a lead on her rivals in the medal race.

While Colombia’s Marian Pajon came charging round the final corner, former world junior champion Shriever crossed the line just 0.090 seconds ahead.

Whyte also got a flying start in his race and was always in the medal places, as Netherlands’ Niek Kimmann took gold.

Shriever, 22, from Finchingfield, Essex, said: “Honestly, I’m in shock. To even be here is an achievement in itself. To make a final is another achievement – to come away with a medal, let alone a gold medal, I’m so over the moon.

“I owe a lot of it to everyone. It just means so much, I’m so grateful for the support, for everyone waking up at home, I’m overwhelmed.

“Results are out of our control so gold isn’t a set goal. It was about keeping to my routine around the track, I managed to hold on and take the win. It’s crazy, actually crazy.

“I was watching Kye and I was almost crying when he got a silver. I had to keep my cool, reset and dig in. I had no legs, I gave it everything I got.

“I had nothing left, the lactic acid. I gave it actually everything I had, and I was rewarded.”

Shriever was cheered on at the finish line by Whyte who, just moments before, had won Team GB’s first medal in BMX Racing.

Whyte was fourth ahead of his third semi-final run but won the final race to fly into the final, where a one-race shootout would decide the medals.

He didn’t leave anything out there to chance, finishing just 0.114 seconds behind Dutch rider Kimmann to take silver on his Games debut.

Whyte, 21, from Peckham, said: “He [Kimmann] was the better man on the day. I had a flying start but I overjumped the second jump. I would have gone to war with him if we’d both landed smooth but it wasn’t to be.

“I was making continuous mistakes but it’s a learning curve, it only my first Olympics. If there was ten more yards, maybe it would have been a gold, I’ll accept the silver though. I was telling myself, ‘I’m going to get a medal’.

“I couldn’t speak [to my family] I was holding back the tears and it wasn’t working. I saw my brother [Tre, former World Championship medallist in the event] and family and all the kids staying up to 5am.”

30th July 2021 0 comment