Saya Sakakibara (AUS) and Joris Daudet (FRA) won the women’s and men’s BMX Racing Olympic titles at the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines track as the French men secured a historic 1-2-3.
In the women’s competition, the silver medal was won by Manon Veenstra (NED) and the bronze went to Zoé Claessens (SUI), who trains at the UCI World Cycling Centre (WCC) in Aigle, Switzerland. The men’s silver medal went to Sylvain André (FRA) and the bronze to Romain Mahieu (FRA).
“I can’t believe it! It just feels unreal. I wanted this, I envisioned this, I visioned me on the podium,” said the new women’s Olympic Champion, Saya Sakakibara. “I had visions of committing 100% and not leaving anything behind. I wanted to make myself proud and I just went for it.”
“We dreamt about it. We knew we could do it and we were determined to do it,” said men’s Olympic Champion, Joris Daudet. “We all worked for it. It's a dream come true at home and that's huge. The previous Olympics were complicated, but I think it was a sign that I should now be Olympic Champion on home soil. It's crazy stuff.”
The semi-finals, with three runs for every rider looking for a combined lowest score of combined finishing positions, saw riders including Merel Smulders (NED), Lauren Reynolds (AUS), and Mariana Pajón (COL) – 2012 and 2016 Olympic Champion – eliminated from the women’s event. Kye Whyte (GBR), Tokyo 2020 silver medalist, crashed and was eliminated from the men’s event. The top eight ranked riders across the semis progressed to the finals. To the home crowd’s delight, the three French men were the three highest qualifiers, and Axelle Etienne made the final in eighth.
Men’s final: Mahieu leads French 1-2-3
Competing in his fourth Olympic Games, UCI World Champion Joris Daudet (FRA), the fastest of the three fast Frenchmen, had first choice and chose gate 1. He led out his countrymen in style with Sylvain André in second and Romain Mahieu third to lock out the podium.
Cédric Butti (SUI) was close behind in 4th with Cameron Wood (USA) 5th, and Mateo Carmona Garcia (COL) 6th. Izaac Kennedy (AUS) and 2022 UCI World Champion Simon Marquart (SUI) crashed.
Women's final: Sakakibara unstoppable
The expected head-to-head between UCI World Cup leader Saya Sakakibara (AUS), reigning Olympic Champion Bethany Shriever (GBR) and UCI World Champion Alise Willoughby (USA) did not disappoint. But it was not the full story.
The in-form Sakakibara, fastest semi-finalist, powered to victory as Shriever was squeezed out early. Manon Veenstra (NED) impressed to take the silver medal, with Switzerland’s Zoé Claessens getting the bronze.
Laura Smulders (NED) got fourth, ahead of Canada’s Molly Simpson, Willoughby, France’s Axelle Etienne and Shriever.
Results available here.