BMX ace Sakakibara in shape to banish Tokyo memories

Australia’s BMX racing superstar Saya Sakakibara has made an emphatic statement at the start of her redemption Olympics as she raced to three clinical victories to power into the semi-finals as top qualifier.

The double overall World Cup champion is favorite to pick up her first Olympic title at the BMX Stadium in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines on Friday and she reckoned she was perfectly happy to have that burden after her consummate quarter-final wins.

Asked if her rivals will see her as the athlete to beat, Sakakibara said: “I hope so.

“I like the pressure, the attention. I like the cameras on me, I like people cheering for me and I just wish there were more people. It puts a really big smile on my face.”

The 24-year-old Gold Coast rider is out to banish wretched memories of her first Olympics in Tokyo when she suffered a horror crash in the semi-final that saw her taken away on a stretcher and left her with longer-term concussion problems.

But after some soul-searching about whether to continue her career, she’s returned to action mentally and physically stronger to become the world’s stand-out racer.

She looked every inch the racer to beat after setting three of the four fastest times on the spectacular, 410m bumps-and-hollows course where riders power off down a steep eight-meter hill and hit speeds of between 40 to 60kph.

“It’s always really good to come out and do the fastest lap. I think that gives me good confidence, and it also shows the other riders I’m in here and I’m gonna give it my best,” said Sakakibara.

Britain’s reigning champion Beth Shriever, who set the second quickest time and also enjoyed three wins, looks set to be Sakakibara’s greatest rival when the semi-finals and gold-medal final are run on Friday.

In the men’s event, fellow Gold Coast racer Izaac Kennedy appears a serious live contender for the men’s gold too.

He improved race by race on Thursday, starting with a fifth-place finish, then a runner’s up spot on his next run and finally demonstrating the sort of form that’s made him the overall BMX Supercross World Cup winner as he took the final race.

The 23-year-old Kennedy, who’s making his Olympic debut, qualified sixth overall, with three French riders, headed by Sylvain Andre, leading the way much to the delight of the partying home crowd.

Sakakibara will also have an experienced teammate alongside her in the semi-finals after three-time Olympian Lauren Reynolds, who finished fifth in Tokyo, qualified ninth, after coming home fourth, third and third behind her flying teammate.