BMX - Champions
In case of BMX, many sanctioning bodies are there who act as an intermediary between the governing body and participants. Union Cycliste International (UCI) acts as a governing body in BMX which oversees international cycling events worldwide, whereas USA cycling acts as a national governing body.
UCI organizes two different BMX competitions UCI BMX Supercross World Cup and the UCI BMX World Championships. While BMX Supercross World Cup is a season long competition and is held at numerous locations throughout the year, UCI BMX World Championships are held for three days and are considered as the world championship for BMX.
BMX championships are held all around the world along with Olympics and the participants win the medals and become champions.
We have given below a brief synopsis of some of the champions of BMX and their careers.
Sam Willoughby
Sam Willoughby is a BMX Cyclist from Australia and is also known as BMX Bandit. In 2012 Summer Olympics, he won a silver medal. He started his career in 2008 where he won Junior BMX Title.
In 2009, he joined the senior brigade and won world championship in 2012. This win made him number one BMX cyclist. He also got Junior Athlete of the Year award in 2012. Currently he educates children about cycling through Happiness Cycle.
Liam Phillips
Liam Phillips is a BMX Cyclist who represents Great Britain. In 1999, he won European Championship and also took part in 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics. In 2008 Olympics, he earned seventh position.
He was injured during 2010 UCI BMX World championship and again started training in 2011. He took part in 2012 Olympics but could not win medal due to injury in his collar bone. Before this he won 2012 UCI BMX World Championship.
Maris Stromberg
Maris Stromberg is a BMX Cyclist from Latvia who was the first champion of the sport in 2008 Summer Olympics in which he completed the race in 36 seconds. Before that, he won UCI BMX World Championship in the same year.
In 2012 Summer Olympics, he again won a gold medal and completed the race in 37 seconds. He started his career in 2001 as a junior participant and won European Youth Challenge in 2001 and European Junior Championship in 2005.
Donny Robinson
Donny Robinson is a BMX Cyclist from America. He started his career in 2001 and got the first place in local race at Canadian Cycling Association. This was his first professional win.
In the same year, he also won UCI Junior Men and Junior Cruiser championships. In NBL, he won one medal in 2005 and two medals in 2006 whereas in ABA he won one medal each in 2003, 2004, and 2006. He also won many competitions in UCI championships.
Kyle Bennett
Kyle Bennett was a BMX Cyclist from America. Kyle Bennet started his career in 1997 through NBL and won NBL Christmas Classic. He also took part in 2008 Olympics but could not win any medal.
He was injured several times during various competitions but still he won many. Some of his achievements include NBL 2004 Elite Men’s National Championship. His ranking also improved in ABA and he won Grand National Championship. He died in a road accident in 2012.
Mariana Pajon
Mariana Pajon is a BMX Cyclist from Columbia who has won gold medal in Olympics and BMX World Championship. At the age of five, she won the national title and at the age of nine world title.
In 2012 Summer Olympics, she won a gold medal. She is the second Colombian to win an Olympic medal. She also has won many world championships in junior and senior sections.
Caroline Buchanan
Caroline Buchanan is a BMX Cyclist from Australia. Besides BMX she also represents Australia in Mountain Biking. She started her career in 2007 where she got coaching from Wade Bootes. She has won 4-X championship in 2009 and 2010 and in 2011 she won silver medal in World Championship.
She could not take part in 2008 Olympics due to her age but took part in 2012 Olympics. Before this she won a round of Supercross. She won UCI World Four Cross Championship in 2013 and now she is waiting for 2016 Olympics
Gabriela Diaz
Gabriela Diaz is a BMX Cyclist from Argentina. She has won many national championships. Besides this, she has won six Pan American games and five medals in UCI Championships which include three golds, one silver, and one bronze.
Gabriela has also represented Argentina in 2008 Summer Olympics but could not win any medal. In 2012 Olympics, she could not win any medal. In 2007 she took part in Pan American Games and got the first gold for Argentina.
Shanaze Reade
Shanaze Reade is a BMX Cyclist from United Kingdom who started her career in 2002. She is three times winner of UCI Championships. She took part in 2005 UCI Championship but could not succeed due to knee injury.
Shanaze won her first race in the Girls Pro at ABA in 2006. In the same year, she won World Championships held in Brazil. In 2007, she won UCI BMX Championship. She also took part in UCI Track Cycling Championship and won silver medal.
Sarah Walker
Sarah Walker is a BMX Cyclist from New Zealand who is a winner of silver medal in 2012 Summer Olympics. In 2008, she won seven races and came second in one race. She was ranked one by UCI in the same year.
Sarah also took part in 2008 Olympics but could not win any medal. In 2009, she won World Championship in Elite Women and Elite Women Cruiser events. In 2011, she won the World Championship.
