- Shriever looked certain to win gold after impressing in the semi-finals on Friday.
- However, he had a poor start in the final and eventually finished in eighth place.
- It wasn’t a good day for Team GB in BMX as France impressed.
Emmanuel Macron was there, arriving late to witness the French triple in the men’s BMX event. Sadly, it was not a night of British celebration, as the president’s security team was very busy.
Our optimism was high because Beth Shriever, the defending women’s champion, had been untouchable until the final on the dirt track. She and Australia’s Saya Sakakibara had dominated throughout the event, but Shriever finished eighth. Sakakibara won gold.
Shriever, 25, started at gate six, apparently at a disadvantage, and was never there again. He had second choice behind Sakakibara in selecting his lane based on his semifinal times, but he did not opt for one of the inside positions that would have likely given him the shortest route into Turn 1.
Why choose gate six? “Because of my collarbone (which I broke at the world championships in May) and because it takes a bit of pressure off me,” said the Essex rider afterwards. “If I had started slowly, I should have had time to come back.
‘It worked in every series, but in the final, when you have two fast girls by your side, sometimes it doesn’t work.
Beth Shriever is already looking ahead to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics after her disappointment in Paris
She dominated BMX until the final, where a slow start led to her finishing eighth.
He said he will do his best to be in Los Angeles in 2028, before settling down and having children.
“I’ll do my best to be in Los Angeles in 2028 and then settle down and have kids. I’ll give it my all in the next four years and then I’ll probably say goodbye.”
Bad luck in the men’s event for our British hope, Kye Whyte, silver medallist at Tokyo 2020. He crashed hard in the second heat of the semi-finals, after hitting the rear wheel of Frenchman Sylvain André, one of Macron’s boys, who took silver behind Joris Daudet and ahead of Romain Mahieu.
White, 24, lay almost motionless. Medics tended to him before he was taken away on a stretcher. A sad end for a captivating star, whose love of cycling helped him escape the gangland world of his native Peckham. He will get another chance in Los Angeles, but that can’t have been much compensation last night.
“Kye was assessed by the on-site medical team and immediately examined by British Cycling team doctor Nigel Jones,” a British Cycling spokeswoman said. “He gave a positive report with no significant injuries.”
“We wish Kye a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing him back on his bike very soon.”
