Natalya Diehm falls short of a podium finish at 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games

No-one could have predicted how the Women’s BMX Freestyle final ended, with history being made.

Gladstone-born Olympian Natalya Diehm has done her town and region proud despite falling short of an Olympic medal.

Diehm became the first female Australian to compete in the Women’s BMX Freestyle at the Olympic Games when she seeded fifth in qualifying on Saturday.

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Day 08. 31/07/21. Cycling BMX Freestyle Finals at the Ariake Urban Skate Park in Tokyo, Japan. Australias Natalya Diehm in the Womens Final. Picture: Alex Coppel.

With a big grin on her face when she wheeled out onto the Olympic course in front of hundreds of cheering fans, including her family back home in Beecher, Diehm had a dynamite first run.

She registered an 86.00 out of a possible 100, however, appeared to be hobbling after the run on the same knee she has had surgically reconstructed four times.

In a run which included a backflip, the commentators rued Diehm’s missed opportunity to perform the highly complex “flare” manoeuvre.

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Day 08. 31/07/21. Cycling BMX Freestyle Finals at the Ariake Urban Skate Park in Tokyo, Japan. Australias Natalya Diehm in the Womens Final. Picture: Alex Coppel.

Diehm’s second run did not live up to the promise provided by her first, however, she still registered an impressive score of 80.60.

At the time, Diehm was in the running to register Australia’s first ever BMX medal at the Olympics as she sat in third spot.

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Day 08. 31/07/21. Cycling BMX Freestyle Finals at the Ariake Urban Skate Park in Tokyo, Japan. Australias Natalya Diehm in the Womens Final. Picture: Alex Coppel.

No-one expected Great Britain’s Charlotte Worthington to do what she did in her second run.

The only way she was expected to beat America’s Hannah Roberts was by landing a 360-degree backflip, which had never been attempted at the Olympic Games.

Worthington shocked the world by attempting and landing the manoeuvre, scoring her a 97.50 run and propelled her into the history books.

Diehm finished a respectable fifth and with youth on her side, being only 23, she will be back for at least one more Olympic campaign.

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Day 08. 31/07/21. Cycling BMX Freestyle Finals at the Ariake Urban Skate Park in Tokyo, Japan. Australias Natalya Diehm in the Womens Final. Picture: Alex Coppel.