Beth Shriever, who clinched the Olympic BMX title in Tokyo, was unable to replicate her earlier triumph, even though she was the second fastest qualifier for the women’s final.
Despite her impressive early performances, the 25-year-old’s failure to secure a medal came as a significant shock. “I was just a little bit slow out of the start and paid the price for it,” she remarked after finishing the final, which was won by Australia’s Saya Sakakibara, in eighth place.
“The pressure is intense; everyone feels it,” she added. “Just one small mistake cost me dearly, but it is what it is.”
“I had pretty much the perfect run-in. Perhaps I got a bit too excited and lost my focus, but I can’t complain. I’ve had an amazing experience, and that’s what BMX is all about.”
With French President Emmanuel Macron in attendance and an enthusiastic crowd cheering, the French riders were dominant in the men’s races, sweeping the gold, silver, and bronze medals in the men’s final with Joris Daudet, Sylvain André, and Romain Mahieu finishing first, second, and third respectively.
Throughout the qualifiers on Thursday, Shriever impressively won all three of her semi-final heats, or motos, leading up to the final. In fact, the Leytonstone native even eased up during her final heat yet still emerged victorious.
“BMX is incredibly unpredictable. A lot can happen, and it involves a massive mental game, which I’ve been focusing on, so I’m really proud of how I’ve managed my nerves leading up to this,” she stated.
Shriever noted that finals night was “a mental game,” and, with Sakakibara riding slightly faster during the qualifiers and semi-finals, it was uncertain who had the upper hand until they finally competed in the final.
Her disappointment was compounded after Team GB colleague and Tokyo silver medalist Kye Whyte crashed out during the second of three semi-final heats.
Whyte faced challenges during the heats due to back pain and subsequently crashed just 75 meters into the race in the second semi-final.
The 24-year-old had narrowly avoided a collision in Thursday’s second heat and later revealed that his racing was hampered by a fear of injury.
“My back is in really bad shape, so I was trying to avoid crashing,” Whyte explained after the qualifying heats. “I was focused on staying safe and making it into the next round.”
“I’m experiencing a lot of pain. I lack the strength to push off the starting line effectively because of my back and leg pain. I’m doing my best to secure a top-four finish to qualify.”
As he began to fall behind in the second heat, Whyte fell hard onto his right side while struggling to keep pace. After lying on the track for several minutes in pain, he was taken away on a stretcher by medical personnel and did not continue in the competition.
British Cycling issued a statement saying: “Following his crash during the BMX racing semi-final, Kye Whyte was assessed immediately by the on-site medical team. This was followed by a further review by Great Britain’s cycling team doctor, Nigel Jones, who provided a positive report, indicating there were no significant injuries.”
