Cycling is set to be one of the most exciting sports at the Youth Olympics, with a new dynamic format that will see four young Aussie riders take on the world.

A total of 128 cyclists comprising 96 men and 32 women will compete at the Games, vying for just one gold medal.  Australia will send the maximum of one team, consisting of three males and one female.

Reigning Junior Australian BMX champion, 18-year-old Matthew Dunsworth is one of the four cyclists heading to Singapore.

“It will be an honour to represent Australia,” Dunsworth said.

“I am training two times a day to get myself in the best position to have a chance to go on and win a medal.”

BMX was introduced as an Olympic cycling discipline in Beijing 2008 and will feature as one of four events on the Youth Olympics roster in Singapore.

Dunsworth and his male teammates Jay McCarthy and Michael Baker will each compete in the 40km road race as well as one of the three disciplines: Cross Country, Time Trial and BMX.

Seventeen-year-old West Australian Kirsten Dellar will be the sole female rider in the team. Dellar, who started competitive cycling at the age of 10 and is a three-time National age champion in BMX, will compete in all three disciplines.

All four athletes will compete individually but will be judged as a team on an overall points system, with individuals accruing points in their events that will be totalled to determine the overall medallists.

With the Youth Olympics being the perfect opportunity for athletes to test themselves on an international stage, Dunsworth has ambitions to use the Games as a springboard to higher honours in the future.

“I believe the Youth Olympics will be a great stepping stone to the Olympics, helping get used to the pressure and having an opportunity to know what the atmosphere is like,” he said.

With three of the four athletes competing at world championship events in the weeks prior, Australia's medal prospects in cycling look strong.

“The younger generation of Australian cyclists are certainly coming through,” Dunsworth said.

“Every day more and more people are emerging which is good to see.” 

The cycling events will be split between the Tampines Bike Park and the Float at Marina Bay, with the first event starting on August 17.

Matt Bartolo
AOC