29-30 July 2021 – The medals for BMX Racing were awarded today at the Ariake Urban Sports Park: on the Italian night at the Tokyo Olympics, semi-finals and then finals for both men and women.
Among the men, the big favourite, the Dutch Niek Kimmann, managed to take home the title despite a mishap during training (SEE VIDEOS), the Dutch athlete's time was 39.053 in the final, beating the British Kye Whyte by just 114 thousandths, while the Colombian Carlos Alberto Ramirez Yepes completed the podium. In the top-5 the Frenchman Sylvain Andre and the Ecuadorian Alfredo Campo.
Source: Giulia de Maio/tuttobiciweb.it
In the women's gold for Great Britain: 22-year-old Bethany Shriever wins with a time of 44.358. The reigning Olympic champion, the Colombian Mariana Pajón, is very close (+0.090) and this time she has to settle for silver. Another orange athlete, Merel Smulders, completes the podium. It should be noted that the only Italian competing, Giacomo Fantoni, was eliminated yesterday in the quarter-finals.
She can't even stand up, overwhelmed by emotion and sore legs. English Bethany Shriever is the new Olympic BMX racing champion. The 22-year-old Londoner, making her debut in the five-ring challenge, didn't fail a single round and in the end she put the title holder, favorite and very skilled Colombian Mariana Pajon behind her. Bronze medal for the Dutch Merel Smulders.
Beth, who has been cycling since the age of 9 and in 2017 won the junior world title, couldn't hold back her tears when she saw her loved ones via video link and when she put the gold medal around her neck below the gaze of UCI president David Lappartient.
«Honestly, I'm in shock. Simply being here was already an achievement for me. Winning a medal was not my goal, the results are out of our control. I tried to follow my routine and stay calm so I managed to bring home a crazy victory. I gave everything I had, I have lactic acid up to my ears, I'm in seventh heaven »comments the Olympic champion who had to make an online collection and work part time as a teacher to face the trip to Tokyo2020.
| EL-M | ||
 |  No KIMMANN | 39.053 |
 |  Kye WHYTE | 39.167 |
 |  Carlos RAMIREZ | 40.572 |
| 4 |  Sylvain ANDRE | 40.676 |
| 5 |  Alfredo CAMPO | 40.705 |
| 6 | Romain MATHIEU | 41.952 |
| 7 | No KIMMANN | DNF |
| 8 |  Connor FIELDS | DNF |
| EL W | ||
| Bethany SHRIEVER | 44.358 |
| Mariana PAJON | 44.448 |
| Merel SMULDERS | 44.721 |
| 4 | Felicia STANCIL | 45.131 |
| 5 |  Lauren REYNOLDS | 45.401 |
| 6 |  Simone CHRISTENSEN | 45.582 |
| 7 | Axelle Etienne | 45.853 |
| 8 |  Drew MECHIELSEN | 46.883 |
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