Defending Olympic BMX champion Maris Strombergs of Latvia eased into the semifinals at the London Games on Thursday after escaping an avalanche of crashes at the London Velopark.
Strombergs was among eight riders who advanced after three qualifying runs. World champion Sam Willoughby of Australia had to complete two more runs before sealing his own spot in the semis.
There were more than 20 crashes … More
‘Inspire a generation’, the London 2012 slogan says, and BMX is the perfect sport to do that, whatever scornful purists might say about the high-octane competition.
Humps and bumps, thrills and spills: the formula is perfect for kids who clearly think the adrenalin-pumped riders are the epitome of cool.Â
The riders themselves feel the same way. They argue that the Olympics, which introduced BMX – bike motocross – at Beijing in 2008, need to attract a younger crowd and this fast, frenetic and fun sport is a great way of pulling them in … More