Fans may be surprised to find that BMX freestyle will make its Olympic debut at the Tokyo 2020 Games, because a sport simply named “BMX” has been part of the Olympic roster since 2008.
BMX racing and freestyle, with their respective emphasis on speed and acrobatics, are two very different disciplines.
Both include riding and racing modified bicycles, or “BMXs.” In stepped BMX riders like Bob Haro and his ilk in 1980s Southern California, who regarded the skate park as a more level playing field.
Soon, riders began pushing the limits of what a BMX bike could do by launching themselves off ramps and jumping over obstacles.
The United States has some of the best BMX freestyle riders in the world and should be favoured to win a lot of medals.
Recounting the Past of Contests
BMX freestyle riders have been pitting their skills against one another almost since the sport’s inception. To keep up with the competition and push the boundaries of the sport, snowboarders relied heavily on their own creativity.
In the 1990s, BMX freestyle was introduced to a global audience thanks to televised events like the X Games and subsequent championships like the Gravity Games and the Dew Tour.
2016 marked a watershed moment for BMX freestyle when it was officially recognised by the Union Cycliste International, the international regulatory body for the cycling sport as a whole (UCI). This resulted in a 2017 world championship and a world cup circuit on par with other cycling sports. In the same year, BMX freestyle was added to the Olympic roster.
Types of Contests
While the sport as a whole is known as “BMX freestyle” at the Olympics, the specific event is known as “BMX park.” This is due to the fact that the setting is very similar to a skate park. Bowls, ramps, and other obstacles can be found in these parks.
There are a number of subgenres of BMX freestyle, the most well-known of which is “street,” in which riders perform tricks using rails and pipes.
All riders have two 60-second runs to show off their abilities. A panel of judges evaluates the riders’ tricks based on a variety of criteria, including the level of difficulty, the quality of the execution, and the riders’ level of innovation. It seems impossible to count the amount of tips and tricks.
Notable Athletes
Three of the four riders on the United States’ Olympic team—including current champion Hannah Roberts—have previously won world titles. The 19-year-old has been one of the finest riders in the world since 2017, when she won the first-ever UCI world championship.
In 2019, Roberts would repeat her victory and make history as the first female to successfully complete a 360 tailwhip during a competition. Throughout 2019, she was practically unbeatable, claiming victories at every major competition on every continent.
Roberts resumed her winning ways in the sport after a lengthy absence caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, claiming her third global title in June.
Three of the four women’s world titles have been won by Roberts, while Perris Benegas has the other. In 2018, Benegas and two other American ladies swept the podium, with Benegas taking home the gold. The day before the Opening Ceremony in Tokyo, Benegas will turn 26.
Dowell won first place in 2018 thanks to his distinctive trick, a tailwhip and bar combo he calls a “twix.” At the 2019 Pan American Games, the then-21-year-old went on to take home the gold.
Final Words
Nick Bruce, aged 29, is the team’s senior member and last name. Bruce was originally a business student at Youngstown University but quit to pursuit his BMX goals. Bruce entered the X Games for the first time in 2017, and he ended in fourth place.
Men’s defending world champion and likely one of the favourites in Tokyo comes from Australia: Logan Martin. Macarena Perez of Chile and Charlotte Worthington of Great Britain could challenge Roberts and Benegas on the women’s side.
