BMX Event
Olympic BMX freestyle
Olympic BMX freestyle is the judged park event added to the Olympic Games for Tokyo 2020, where riders perform two timed runs on a purpose-built course.
Updated 4 min read795 words
Olympic BMX freestyle is the park riding event at the Summer Olympic Games. It was added to the programme for Tokyo 2020 and first contested in 2021, with separate men's and women's competitions judged on two timed runs. It is the first and so far only freestyle BMX discipline in the Olympics, and its inclusion changed how the sport is funded, organised and seen by the wider public.
History
For most of its history, freestyle BMX had no connection to the Olympic movement. Contests were run by brands, magazines and event companies such as ESPN with the X Games. That changed in 2017, when the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the governing body for competitive cycling, became the official international federation for BMX freestyle and launched the UCI Urban Cycling World Championships. In the same year the International Olympic Committee approved BMX freestyle park for Tokyo 2020 as part of a push to add youth-focused sports.
The Tokyo Games were postponed by a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic and took place in the summer of 2021. The BMX freestyle events were held at the Ariake Urban Sports Park, on a course built next to the skateboarding venue. Nine riders competed in each of the men's and women's events, qualifying through the UCI nation rankings and the 2019 UCI Urban Cycling World Championships, with one place for the host nation.
Logan Martin of Australia won the men's gold medal, with Daniel Dhers of Venezuela taking silver and Declan Brooks of Great Britain bronze. Charlotte Worthington of Great Britain won the women's gold ahead of Hannah Roberts of the United States and Nikita Ducarroz of Switzerland.
The event returned at Paris 2024, held on a temporary course at the Place de la Concorde in the centre of the city. José Torres Gil of Argentina won the men's title ahead of Kieran Reilly of Great Britain and Anthony Jeanjean of France, and Deng Yawen of China won the women's title ahead of Perris Benegas of the United States and Natalya Diehm of Australia.
Format
Olympic BMX freestyle uses the UCI park format, which is also used at the World Championships and World Cup rounds such as FISE.
- The course is a purpose-built park layout with quarter-pipes, box jumps, spines, wall rides and rails, designed so riders can link tricks in a continuous flow.
- Each rider takes two runs of 60 seconds in the seeding round. The average of the two scores sets the running order for the final.
- In the final, each rider again takes two 60-second runs. The best single run counts.
- A panel of judges scores each run from 0 to 99.99. They consider difficulty, originality, style, flow, height and execution, and they reward use of the whole course and variety of tricks.
- Crashes or dabs are penalised through the execution score rather than a fixed deduction.
The best-run rule for the final means a rider can take a safe first run and then attempt a harder second run, or go all-in on the first run and use the second as insurance.
Notable moments
- Martin's first final run in Tokyo scored 93.30 and held up for gold, meaning he could ride his second run without pressure. He was already a multiple world champion and became the first Olympic champion in the discipline.
- Worthington crashed attempting a 360 backflip in her first final run, then landed it in her second run and scored 97.50 to win. It is widely reported as the first 360 backflip landed by a woman in competition.
- Roberts, the reigning world champion entering Tokyo, took silver after a problem on her second run and remained the leading figure in women's park riding through the following Olympic cycle.
- The Paris 2024 events, held in the open air in central Paris, drew large crowds and were among the most-watched BMX contests ever broadcast.
Significance
Olympic inclusion brought money and structure into a sport that had previously run largely outside organised cycling. National federations began funding BMX freestyle programmes, building training parks and employing coaches. Riders in many countries gained access to sports institute support and government grants for the first time.
It also raised the profile of park riding relative to street, dirt and flatland, none of which are in the Games. Some riders and media in the core scene were critical of the UCI's involvement and of the contest-focused direction, arguing that freestyle BMX had always defined itself apart from organised sport. Others pointed to the new opportunities for riders, particularly women, whose events now had equal billing.
For Australia, Martin's gold was a landmark moment for the local scene and is covered further in BMX in Australia.
Related
Frequently asked questions about Olympic BMX freestyle
Who won the first Olympic BMX freestyle gold medals?
Logan Martin of Australia won the men's event and Charlotte Worthington of Great Britain won the women's event at the Tokyo 2020 Games, held in 2021.
How is Olympic BMX freestyle scored?
Each rider takes two 60-second runs on the park course. A judging panel scores each run from 0 to 99.99 on difficulty, originality, style, flow and execution. In the final, the best of the two runs counts.
Is street or flatland in the Olympics?
No. Only the park format has been included so far. Flatland and street have their own world championships but are not on the Olympic programme.
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