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3 months ago
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Emmanuel Macron was here, a late arrival to witness a French one-two-three in the men’s BMX. It was, sorry to report, not an evening of British celebration as Le President’s security detail busied themselves.
Our optimism was bulging because Beth Shriever, the defending champion in the women’s event, had been untouchable until it came down to the final on the dirt track. She and Australia’s Saya Sakakibara had dominated throughout. But Shriever finished eighth. Sakakibara won gold.
Shriever, 25, started in gate six, at a seeming disadvantage, and was never in it from then on. She had second choice behind Sakakibara to select her lane, based on times from the semi-finals, but did not go for one of the inside positions which would, surely, have given her the shortest route into the first turn.
Why choose gate six? ‘Because of my collarbone (broken in the world championships in May) and it just takes the pressure off a little bit,’ said the Essex rider afterwards. ‘If I started slowly, I should have had time to come back.
‘It worked in every single heat. But in the final when you’ve got two fast girls alongside you, sometimes it doesn’t work.
Beth Shriever is already looking ahead to the LA Olympics in 2028 after her disappointment in Paris
She was dominant in the BMX until the final, where a slow start meant she finished eighth
She said she will give it her best to be in LA in 2028, before settling down and having kids
‘I’ll do my best to be in LA in 2028 and then I’ll settle down and have some kids. I’ll put my all into the next four years and then probably call it a day.’
Calamity in the men’s event for our British hope, Kye Whyte, silver medallist at Tokyo 2020. He fell to the ground heavily on the second run in the semi-finals, having clipped the back wheel of French rider Sylvain Andre – one of Macron’s boys, who took silver behind Joris Daudet and ahead of Romain Mahieu.
The 24-year-old White lay almost motionless. Medics attended to him before he was carried away on a stretcher. A sad ending for a captivating star, whose bike-riding hobby helped him escape the gang world of his native Peckham. He will have another chance in LA, but that can hardly have been much compensation last night.
‘Kye was assessed by the on-site medical team and immediately viewed by GB cycling team doctor Nigel Jones,’ said a spokeswoman for British Cycling. ‘He delivered a positive report with no significant injuries.’
‘We wish Kye a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing him on his bike very soon.’
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