Everything you need to know about Freestyle BMX
Australia has fallen in love with athletes from the sports you’d least expect in Tokyo, and that run could continue in the Freestyle BMX.
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Australia just loves a cult hero, and we’ve been absolutely spoiled for choice at the Tokyo Olympics.
We fell in love with Jian Lang Fay, a six-time Olympian for Australia, in the table tennis.
Jess Fox won hearts across the nation for her exploits in the canoeing that resulted in a gold medal, despite a strategic vomit before her big race.
We can’t ignore Kaylee McKeown, either. Who could forget her message of “f*** yeah” to her family after winning gold in the women’s 100m backstroke?
The nation might have another cult hero among our ranks tomorrow, in the Freestyle BMX.
Who might that be, and what exactly is Freestyle BMX? We explain everything you need to know.
What is Freestyle BMX?
The sport itself is making its Olympic debut in Tokyo.
Freestyle BMX is very similar to skateboarding. Riders get a set amount of time to fit in as many crazy tricks as they can to impress a set of judges.
But instead of the four wheels on a skateboard, Freestyle BMX riders will pull out every trick on the two wheels of a bicycle.
How will Freestyle BMX work at the Olympics?
In Freestyle BMX, it will follow a similar format to the skateboarding street course.
Competitors will execute tricks on a myriad of different elements, whether that be walls, box jumps, or spines. For those who don’t know what a spine in BMX terms means, it’s like two ramps have been pushed together so that a rider can get plenty of air when doing their tricks.
Sixty seconds is all the time the competitors will have to impress the judges, with tricks scored on difficulty, originality, execution, height, and creativity.
The event will be held at the Ariake Urban Sports Park.
Who are the Aussies competing?
Logan Martin and Natalya Diehm are the two competitors making not just Australian history, but Olympic history as the inaugural Freestyle BMX riders at the Tokyo Games.
27-year-old Martin arrived in Tokyo on the back of impressive form, winning the 2021 UCI World Championships held in France with a score of 94.90.
Coming into the Olympics as a world champion is no mean feat, and should he medal in Tokyo, it’s safe to say the stoke levels will be through the roof in Australia.
Diehm, a Queensland native, is a star in her own right, too. The 23-year-old finished among the top six at the 2019 Urban World Championships in China, and won her third national title at the Australian 2021 Championships in Freestyle BMX.
She also counts herself in the top ten of the world rankings for the sport.
What time is the Freestyle BMX?
The Freestyle BMX seeding events take place on Saturday, July 31 from 11:10am AEST.
The finals of Freestyle BMX commence on Sunday, August 1 at 11:10am AEST.
Originally published as Everything you need to know about Freestyle BMX
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