Saya Sakakibara Explained

Saya Sakakibara
Birth Date:1999 8, df=yes
Birth Place:Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
Show-Medals:yes

Saya Sakakibara (born 23 August 1999)[1] is an Australian cyclist competing in BMX racing events.

Personal and early life

Sakakibara was born on the Gold Coast, Queensland, to a mother of Japanese heritage and a father of British citizenship.[2] She started BMX racing at the age of four after watching her older brother Kai competing.[3] [4] The family moved to Sydney in 2007 and Sakakibara joined the South Illawarra BMX Club where her brother Kai was a member. She then began competing on the junior circuits and quickly rose through the ranks winning state and national titles.[5]

As of 2019, Sakakibara is dating fellow BMX racer, Romain Mahieu.[6]

Career

Sakakibara has represented Australia at World Championship level. She won a silver medal in the Junior Elite BMX Supercross at the 2017 World Championships. She was awarded AusCycling's Female BMX Racing Rider of the Year in 2020.[7] She was selected for the delayed 2020 Summer Olympics as part of the Australian team.[8] [9] She crashed in the semi-finals of the Olympics and did not qualify for the final.[10]

She won the 2023 UCI BMX Racing World Cup and retained her title in Tulsa in 2024.[11]

She won gold at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.[12]

Major results

2016
  • 1st Junior Elite BMX Supercross National Championships
  • 1st Junior Elite BMX Supercross Oceania Championships
    2017
  • 1st Junior Elite BMX Supercross National Championships
  • 1st Junior Elite BMX Supercross Oceania Championships
  • 2nd Junior Elite BMX Supercross World Championships
    2018
  • 6th Elite BMX Supercross World Championships
    2019
  • 1st Elite BMX Supercross Oceania Championships
  • 1st Elite Tokyo 2020 BMX Test Event
  • 7th Elite BMX Supercross World Championships
    2021
  • 1st Superclass Women BMX National Championships[13]
    2023
  • 1st UCI BMX Racing World Cup[14]
  • 1st Oceania Championships[15]
  • 1st Elite BMX National Championships
    2024
  • 1st UCI BMX Racing World Cup[16]
  • XXXIII Olympics (Paris 2024) Gold Medal Women's Cycling BMX Racing

    Notes and References

    1. Web site: Saya Sakakibara Australian CyclingTeam . 30 July 2021.
    2. News: Identity of Mixed-Race Athletes BMX Kai & Saya Sakakibara (Part 2) . SBS Language . en.
    3. Web site: Saya Sakakibara Profile . auscycling.org.au . en.
    4. Web site: Norris . Emma . Meet 17-Year-Old Pro BMX Rider And Certified Badass, Saya Sakakibara . sporteluxe . 13 October 2019.
    5. Web site: Saya Sakakibara . 2021-11-10 . Australian Olympic Committee . en-AU.
    6. Web site: 2 August 2024 . BMX Racing: Saya Sakakibara (AUS) wins women's gold . 3 August 2024 . Olympics.
    7. News: Richie Porte named 2020 AusCycling Cyclist of the Year . 18 February 2021 . 17 February 2021.
    8. News: Husband and wife mountain bikers and first-time BMX riders named for Tokyo Olympics . 19 June 2021 . news.com.au . 16 June 2021.
    9. News: Aussie Olympic History with BMX and Mountain Bike Selections for Tokyo 2020 . 19 June 2021 . Australian Olympic Committee . 16 June 2021.
    10. News: BMX medal hopeful Saya Sakakibara crashes out of Olympics in heartbreaking circumstances . 31 July 2021 . 7News . 30 July 2021.
    11. Web site: Aussie duo's huge Olympics statement in BMX World Cup triumphs. Foxsports.com.au. 1 May 2024. Luke. Doherty. 29 April 2024.
    12. News: Snape . Jack . 2024-08-02 . Saya Sakakibara overcomes setbacks and trauma to win BMX gold for Australia and her brother . 2024-08-04 . . 0261-3077.
    13. Web site: Race F2 – Superclass Women Final . 19 December 2021.
    14. Web site: UCI BMX Racing World Cup - Round 10 . UCI . 9 December 2023.
    15. News: Australia dominates Oceania BMX Racing Championships . 18 April 2023 . AusCycling . 17 April 2023.
    16. News: Aussie duo's huge Olympics statement in BMX World Cup triumphs . 5 May 2024 . Fox Sports . 29 April 2024.

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