Men’s BMX Racing
Colombia has medalled at the last three Olympics. The last two medals were won by Carlos Ramirez (Colombia) who took bronze. He has finished fourth at the last two World Championships and the 2023 World Cup. Diego Arroleda Ospina (Colombia) beat him in the 2023 World Cup, finishing third overall. The other returning medalist from Tokyo is Kye White (Great Britain) who took silver. He repeated that at the 2022 World Championship but has not been in the best form since. The last two World Champions are both from France. Joris Daudet (France) won in 2024 having improved from third place at the two prior editions. He was also second place in the 2023 World Cup. That was behind compatriot Romain Mahieu (France) who also won the 2023 World Championship. The other Frenchman competing is Sylvain Andre (France). He came fourth at the last Olympics an is a former world champion, taking gold in 2018. He has won bronze on three separate occasions since then. The winner of the 2024 World Cup was Izaac Kennedy (Australia) improving on bronze from 2022 before he injured his ligaments in 2023. Runner-up at the 2024 World Cup was Cedric Butti (Switzerland). Compatriot Simon Marquart (Switzerland) was the winner of the 2021 World Cup and was the 2022 World Champion. Kamren Larsen (United States) was fourth in the 2024 World Cup and won the 2023 Pan-American Games. Cameron Wood (United States) was second but did win a World Cup event in 2023 after finishing second overall in 2022. Gonzalo Molina (Argentina) came fourth in the 2022 World Championship. Alfredo Campo (Ecuador) came fifth at the Tokyo Olympics and the 2024 World Championship. Jaymio Brink (Netherlands) only turned 20 earlier this year but will be hoping to compete.
This should be an intriguing battle with lots of competitors. Two of the Tokyo medalists return. The top two Frenchmen both competed in Tokyo but their form has taken them to the next level since. Butti, Kennedy and Wood represent the younger competitors whilst Marquardt is another who has seen his form step up since Tokyo. BMX is one of those events where it does really depend on who turns up on the day and the luck in the big race. Mahieu and Daudet have been the most consistent over the last few years and form the main contenders along with Kennedy. Shocks are perhaps likeliest from either Andre or Butti.
🥇Joris Daudet 🇫🇷
🥈Isaac Kennedy 🇦🇺
🥉Romain Mahieu 🇫🇷
Men’s BMX Freestyle
Logan Martin (Australia) won the inaugural event in Tokyo and was also World Champion in 2021 before finishing second in 2023. He has taken numerous World Cup events over that time and likely enters this tournament as a favourite. Kieran Reilly (Great Britain) will be another fancied rider being the reigning world champion. He also won the European Games in 2023. Rim Nakamura (Japan) took the world title in 2022 but could only finish fourth in 2023. Justin Dowell (United States) was second in the 2022 World Championship improving from fourth in 2021. Compatriot Marcus Christopher (United States) was fourth in 2022. He also had two podiums in World Cup events in 2023. Anthony Jeanjean (France), will be the French hope. He only finished seventh in Toyko but was the European champion in 2022. He won bronze in the 2022 World Championships and won a 2023 World Cup event in Brussels before taking two events in 2024. Marin Rantes (Croatia) has bronze medals from the 2021 World Championship and the 2022 European Championship. Jose Torres Gil (Argentina) won at the 2023 X Games and has been competitive in numerous World Cup events over recent years. Ernest Zebolds (Lativa), Gustavo Oliveira (Brazil) and Jeffrey Whaley (Canada) will also compete.
There is a top six who ultimately I think this comes down to although Gil and Rantes are certainly dangerous. Of the American pair, I prefer Dowell but I don’t think either of them end up in the medals. Jeanjean, at home, and with the best form this year will expect to be on the podium. If Kieran Reilly lands his triple flair then he should be the favourite but if he goes for it and fails he may not medal. I prefer Martin to Nakamura which means the Japanese man finished just outside the medals again.
🥇Kieran Reilly 🇬🇧
🥈Anthony Jeanjean 🇫🇷
🥉Logan Martin 🇦🇺
Women’s BMX Racing
It is also three straight medals for Colombia but all have come from one person, Mariana Pavon (Colombia). She won in 2012 and 2016 but only won silver in Tokyo. She is arguably past her best now and has not medalled in a World Championship since 2017. Beth Shriever (Great Britain) beat her at the Tokyo Olympics and has since won world titles in 2021 and 2023 as well as the 2023 World Cup and the test event. Alise Willoughby (United States) is the current world champion, having won in 2024 for the third time. There was another American world champion in 2022 in Felicia Stancil (United States). She was fourth in the Tokyo Olympics and also finished there at the 2024 World Championship. The third American competitor is Daleny Vaughn (United States) who won bronze in the 2024 World Championship. Another Olympic medalist from Tokyo was Merel Smulders (Netherlands). She also won bronze at the 2022 World Championship and remains a danger in any event she enters. Her older sister Laura Smulders (Netherlands) has medals of all colours from the World Championships. She has also won four World Cups, including in 2022 before coming third in 2023. Compatriot Manon Veenstra (Netherlands) is also capable. The winner of the 2024 World Cup was Saya Sakaikibara (Australia) improving on silver medals in 2018, 2020 and 2023. Zoe Claasens (Switzerland) won silver in the 2022 World Cup. She has also finished second at the 2022 and 2024 World Championships as well as the test event. Compatriot Nadine Aeberhard (Switzerland) was behind her, finishing third in the test event. Lauren Reynolds (Australia) has consistently been in finals, including in Tokyo when she finished fifth, but that has been her best finish. Molly Simpson (Canada) has looked similar this season, coming sixth in the World Cup.
Shriever has it all as far as I’m concerned. Her big competition record is strong given how hard it is to be dominant in this discipline. In a standard event, I would give Sakaikibara a massive chance but she just hasn’t replicated that form in big events. Besides those two I think this comes down to the Dutch contingent, Claasens and Willoughby. It is very tough and I’ll go for a bit of a surprise in Claasens.
🥇Beth Shriever 🇬🇧
🥈Saya Sakaikibara 🇦🇺
🥉Zoe Claasens 🇨🇭
Women’s BMX Freestyle
It was Charlotte Worthington (Great Britain) who took a bit of a surprise Olympic gold in Tokyo. Since then her World Championship finishes have got worse; third in 2021, fifth in 2022 and seventh in 2023. Hannah Roberts (United States) could only come second but has won the three world titles since. Nikita Ducarroz (Switzerland) was the other Olympic medalist winning bronze in Tokyo. She has won silver medals at the 2021 and 2022 World Championships. Iveta Miculycova (Czech Republic) was a bronze medalist in 2022. She will only be 17 for the Olympics and won the 2022 European Championship as well as the 2023 European Games. Kim Lea Muller (Germany) was runner-up at both of those tournaments and finished fourth at the 2022 World Championship. Perris Benegas (United States) has finished fourth in the World Championship and the Tokyo Olympics. Laury Perez(France) won bronze at both of the European competitions and won the 2024 World Cup event in Montpelier. Yawen Deng (China) won in Bazhong in 2023 whilst compatriot Jiaqi Sun (China) won on the Gold Coast in 2022. Macarena Perez Grasset (Chile) competed in Toko and was second at the 2024 World Cup event in Enoshima. Natalya Diehm (Australia) and Queen Villegas (Colombia) are consistent finishers in the top eight over recent years without making podiums in the biggest events.
Roberts looks to be the clear form selection, despite a run of finishing second in 2023 World Cup events. Of the other Tokyo medalist I’d probably edge to Ducarroz on form but Worthington does have a feel for the big occasion. A bit of a pecking order has been established between the other Europeans with Miculycova surely only improving at her age. Perez will get a boost from being at home though. Of the Chinese pair, I prefer Deng.
🥇Hannah Roberts 🇺🇸
🥈Yawen Deng 🇨🇳
🥉Iveta Miculycova 🇨🇿
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