BMX, Women

The women’s BMX racing final at the 2024 Olympic Games was held at the Vélodrome National de Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, where Australia’s Saya Sakakibara captured the gold medal with a commanding performance, completing the final in 34.231 seconds. This victory was particularly poignant for Sakakibara, who had suffered a severe crash at Tokyo 2020, where she finished ninth. Racing with the number 77 - a tribute to her brother Kai, a former BMX racer who retired due to a brain injury –, her victory was one of the most emotional moments of the Games.

Dutch rider Manon Veenstra secured the silver medal with a time of 34.954 seconds, while Switzerland’s Zoé Claessens took bronze, finishing in 35.060 seconds. The defending Olympic champion, Beth Shriever of Great Britain, who had shown strong form by winning her semifinal, finished last in the final, marking a significant upset.

Two-time Olympic champion (2012, 2016) and Tokyo 2020 silver medalist, Colombia’s Mariana Pajón , faced difficulties in the heats and did not advance to the final. She was edged out in the semifinals after a tiebreaker.

The event was marked by the absence of two-time Olympian Elke Vanhoof (BEL), who suffered a broken neck in a crash during training prior to the Games, preventing her from competing.