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news
Bethany Shriever and Kye Whyte at Tokyo 2020 (copyright Alex Broadway, SWpix.com).JPGBMX gold for Team GB’s Bethany Shriever, silver for Kye Whyte
Team GB’s Bethany Shriever has won BMX gold in Tokyo, just moments after Kye Whyte finished second in the men’s race to win the country’s first ever medal in the discipline, introduced to the programme at Beijing 2008.
Shriever, undefeated in her three semi-final runs, got a storming start in the final and led throughout, seeing off a late challenge from Colombia's Marian Pajon. The Dutch ridfer Laura Smulders was third.
Whyte likewise got a strong start and was always in contention for a medal, though he was unable to overhaul Niek Kimmann of the Netherlands, who won gold. The bronze medal went to Colombia’s Carlos Ramirez.
Shriever, from Finchingfield in Essex, said: “Honestly, I’m in shock. To even be here is an achievement in itself. To make a final is another achievement – to come away with a medal, let alone a gold medal, I’m so over the moon.”
The 22-year-old, who did not benefit from UK Sport funding during this Olympic cycle, had to turn to crowdfunding to support herself in the build-up to Tokyo.
“I owe a lot of it to everyone. It just means so much, I’m so grateful for the support, for everyone waking up at home, I’m overwhelmed.
“Results are out of our control so gold isn’t a set goal. It was about keeping to my routine around the track, I managed to hold on and take the win. It’s crazy, actually crazy.
“I was watching Kye and I was almost crying when he got a silver. I had to keep my cool, reset and dig in. I had no legs, I gave it everything I got.
“I had nothing left, the lactic acid. I gave it actually everything I had, and I was rewarded.”
Peckham rider Whyte, who was at the finish line to help Shriever celebrate her victory, said: “He [Kimmann] was the better man on the day.
“I had a flying start but I overjumped the second jump. I would have gone to war with him if we'd both landed smooth but it wasn't to be.
“I was making continuous mistakes but it's a learning curve, it only my first Olympics,” the 21-year-old continued.
“If there was ten more yards, maybe it would have been a gold, I'll accept the silver though. I was telling myself, ‘I'm going to get a medal’.
“I couldn't speak [to my family] I was holding back the tears and it wasn't working. I saw my brother [Tre, former World Championship medallist in the event] and family and all the kids staying up to 5am,” he added.
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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14 comments
Yes, lack of support from BC for anything beyond track & (a bit reluctantly) road has been shameful. But BMX has been particularly badly served, with a complete lack of BMX/pump/jump tracks outside major cities. BC isn't responsible for *building* BMX tracks, but could take a lead in encouraging local authorities to provide them. Instead, the organisation does nothing. Here (https://singletrackworld.com/2021/07/is-this-the-worst-pump-track-in-the...) is a fine example of what we end up with as a result.
It's pretty shameful for UK Sport & British Cycling not to have funded Shriever. I hope some pointed questions are being asked.
She's been funded since 2019, just between 2016 and 19 they didn't
I think the period she was unfunded is less than that (reports suggest it was about a year) - but either way it looks like she really had to struggle for the funding she got from UK Sport, and later British Cycling.
She wasn't funded from when she won the junior World Champs in 2017 until 2019. Women's bmx wasn't funded after Rio in 2016. She started crowdfunding in 2019, but BC managed to talk Sport England into more flexibility. She's the first GB Woman to win gold this Olympics, and both she and Kye tick boxes for diversifying cycling, which is a great thing. They had to talk SE into funding the mens MTB too, so they both worked out.
"Women's bmx wasn't funded after Rio in 2016"
I blame Shanaze Reade.
I don't really but they have a limited amount of funding and a lot of athletes and unfortunately, rightly or wrongly, the areas of the sports that are high profile and win medals are they ones they push it to. It is always a dog eat dog for the minor sports where just one unexpected position in the finishing spots is the difference between funding or not.
is this tongue in cheek?
Beth wasn't funded for a while. Note that at the previous Olympics, Kye's elder brother Tre had the money behind him to provide self-funding and he could've competed also. But he was actively blocked by BC. That is also shameful. At this Olympics, Quillan Isidore was actually second highest rated UK male BMX rider after Kye but was also blocked by BC.
BC does have some questions to answer. I did a session with Shanaze some years back and she did drop some pretty big hints as to how she'd been messed about by BC.
But here and now all of us in the London BMX community are celebrating. I know Tre's dad very well, he's a good mate, and he's put a lot of hours into getting his son onto that podium. I don't know the Shriever family very well but I'm sure they're just as pleased and proud.
Beth and Kyre are great ambassadors for the sport and I'm pretty sure they'll encourage more riders into BMX as well. We've already seen an upturn in members at my club and particularly in female riders and the success of these two will give a further boost to that.
At this Olympics, Quillan Isidore was actually second highest rated UK male BMX rider after Kye but was also blocked by BC.
Second rated how? Do they go off the national rankings, specific races or other criteria?
He has a UCI world ranking of 20th if that helps. Compared to whytes 11th. Based on very few UCI races due to COVID if I am reading right.
I don't know what happens with BMX but there was a case a few years ago of a Scottish cross country (aka XCO) mountain biker who wanted to go to the world champs but BC refused to enter him. I can't recall the details exactly but I think he could self fund & his dad was his mechanic so all he needed was BC to enter him (a little work & modest cost), but they refused on the grounds he had no real chance of a medal.
How is someone to gain the big-event experience they need to progress to the point of being a potential winner, if they can't get into big events until they're viewed as potential winners.
Lack of grass roots involvement in anything beyond road & track was a big factor in why I no longer bother with BC membership.
I'm a BC member and I ahve to be to race. But there is still a lot wrong with BC> Blocking riders who are able to self fund is appalling. Tre had managed to get the sponsorship but BC denied him the chance.
He had the second highest points rating of any UK male BMX racer after Kye.
Sorry, I am genuinely interested and not being an a-hole on purpose. So they use the UCI and not the BC rankings?