The first gold medal for Great Britain in the cycling events was won by Charlotte Worthington, who won a bronze in the BMX freestyle. The win came after a dramatic final lap which saw her overtake the USA’s Taylor Phinney and take out the victory.
The when will the olympics be is a question that has been asked for decades. The 2016 Olympics were held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on August 5th to 21st.
Charlotte Worthington of the United Kingdom came back from a first-run fall to win a dramatic gold medal in the women’s BMX park freestyle Olympic final.
The 25-year-old, who gave up her job as a cook to concentrate on the sport in 2017, snatched gold on her second run with an action-packed score of 97.50.
Declan Brooks won bronze in the men’s race, Britain’s fourth BMX medal of a spectacular week, thanks to the thrilling competition.
The 25-year-old stood by as racers failed to beat his 90.80 time, with Australia’s Martin Logan winning gold with a time of 93.30.
Brooks’ gold came soon after Worthington’s outstanding win. After her fall, she just had to deliver on run two, and she did it by becoming the first woman to land a 360-degree backflip in competition – the identical feat that had her on the floor during run one.
She ecstatically celebrated her score before seeing four competitors, including favorite Hannah Roberts, fail to match it.
When questioned about the crucial backflip, Worthington remarked, “It felt amazing.”
“I haven’t done that trick in a long time, but we’ve been looking for that huge banger trick, and when we found it, we knew it was the one.” We wouldn’t be performing these stunts if it weren’t for Hannah Roberts,external-link.
“It’s the result of a lot of hard effort.”
When Worthington’s score of 97.50 was announced, her teammates erupted in joy.
When Worthington’s score of 97.50 was announced, her teammates erupted in joy.Riders were ranked based on their highest score from their two runs, and Worthington’s 97.50 placed the pressure on American Roberts, who seemed to be on her way to the championship after scoring 96.10 on run one.
The 19-year-old, who had tossed her bike in the excitement of finishing her first run, was unable to complete her second 60-second stint on the Tokyo course, and her surrender secured Worthington’s champion title as the final rider to participate.
Roberts, who won all three World Cup races in BMX freestyle’s last full season in 2019, was taken aback by the turn of events.
“There was certainly a lot going on,” Roberts remarked after winning bronze against Switzerland’s Nikita Ducarroz. “My first run went well, but I knew there were certain areas where I could improve. I tripped and twisted my ankle.
“It’s an honor to come in second to Charlotte. It’s an exciting moment to be a part of our sport.”
Worthington and Brooks’ medals come after gold and silver medals in BMX racing for Britain’s Bethany Shriever and Kye Whyte.
Worthington, a latecomer to BMX, quit her job as a chef in 2017 after “sweating it out in the kitchen for over 40 hours a week and hardly having any time or energy to ride,” she told Sport.
She described the move as a “lifestyle shift,” and she was quick to point out how personal growth in her life away from the bike had created the groundwork for her to improve her riding abilities.
According to Worthington, the postponement until Tokyo 2024 allowed her extra time to perfect the skills she’d need on the big stage.
She has now won championships in the United Kingdom, Europe, and the Olympics.
‘I wept, but I’m ecstatic.’
Brooks, who was on the verge of missing the Games after collapsing at the World Championships in June, increased his first-run score to 90.80 and then calmly waited for six riders to get up to him in the second run.
Only one person, Daniel Dhers of Venezuela, was able to beat it, with Logan’s score from his first run being enough to win gold.
“I’ve just wept for the past couple of minutes,” Brooks said, visibly moved.
“It’s been an amazing trip on the road here; I’m just really thrilled. I don’t think it’ll set in for a long. For Charlotte to do her stuff today and put up a score and techniques that we hadn’t seen before, it was even tougher concentrating.”
“I knew the run I wanted to do; I still left a few details out, but to be honest, it was all I had.”
