- He suffered a severe concussion.
- Brother seriously injured while playing sports
- Erased fear and doubt to achieve an emotional victory
Australian BMX rider Saya Sakakibara defied injuries and family trauma to claim Australia’s 10th gold medal in emotional scenes on Saturday morning.
Sakakibara’s brother Kai suffered a traumatic brain injury while competing, and Sakakibara suffered two severe concussions that nearly caused her to quit the sport.
At the 2021 Tokyo Games, the Australian athlete suffered a severe concussion after colliding with another runner, ending her Olympic debut.
Kai, also a talented BMX racer, was ranked tenth in the world in February 2020, while his sister was in the top five.
That same month, Kai fell during a World Cup event and was placed in a medically induced coma for two months due to a traumatic brain injury.
This injury affected his speech and movement on the right side of his body, forcing him to relearn essential life skills.
He wore his brother’s number 77 throughout the race and dominated the field to claim an emotional victory.
Saya Sakakibara lets out all her emotion after leading the final from start to finish
An emotional Sakakibara wore her brother’s number and dedicated the win to him after Kai Sakakibara suffered a life-changing brain trauma while riding.
“I just visualized the moment, I visualized being on the podium, hearing the national anthem and having the gold medal hanging around my neck. I imagined it,” Sakakibara said.
‘Every setback I had from the moment I got on the podium made me think I was going to try again, I just had it in the back of my mind. I wanted it, I wanted it.
“I knew it would all come down to a split second and all I had to do was walk away.”
“She said many times that she had to silence all the fear that was in her head, coming back from concussions last year and the whole team, her coach there, everyone believed so much in her performance,” said Australian double Olympian and former world champion Caroline Buchanan.
‘She got back on the BMX horse when everything was telling her, her brother’s traumatic brain injury, and she said, ‘I’m not going to let fear destroy me’ and now she’s an Olympic champion.’
Kai was present to witness the emotional victory that his sister dedicated to him.
“I’m shaking,” he said.
“It’s crazy because three years ago he could have done it but he didn’t and now he’s doing it. It’s crazy. It’s really crazy.”
Shibasaki’s French boyfriend, Romain Mahieu, was at the finish line to congratulate her as she broke down in tears. He had won the bronze medal in her final earlier in the day.
“I knew she could do it. She’s worked so hard and I’m so proud of her. It’s everything she deserves,” he said.
“She’s been through everything, she’s been through some tough times, she’s almost stopped competing and now she’s showing how good she is. We’re going to need some time to assimilate and understand what’s happened.”
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