BMX: It was a coming of age performance by Olympic hopeful Bodi Turner overnight, as he upstaged compatriot Sam Willoughby to finish second in the third round of the UCI BMX Supercross World Cup in Angelholm, Sweden.
The wind was more subdued at the Sibirien BMX Arena after it had forced a re-schedule to the competition the previous day. Although still a niggling presence, it didn’t stop a number of Aussie riders from producing season best performances, as Lauren Reynolds also got in on the action to finish in third. Australia’s extended practice time on the track over the past two weeks seemingly paying dividends.
Ultimately, the day belonged to Turner, looking every bit an international contender in what was his first final on the world cup stage, his raw talent on full display when he flew by reigning world champion Niek Kimmann to grab second position on the third straight, eventually finishing behind Great Britain’s Liam Phillips. Willoughby finished third after he too passed Kimmann, diving down the inside on the final turn.
An ecstatic Turner highlighted the importance of getting to know the track, especially given the havoc the wind had played across the weekend.
“I’m so pumped, this is so awesome, I don’t have any words to describe it, there has been so many positive vibes this week,” Turner said.
“I love this track, you need some skill to get through it, it gets quite technical through the pro straight, and the wind makes things tricky.
“It forces you to play it smarter, and that paid off for me today.
“Just been able to ride it and have fun on it over the past couple of weeks you learn to love it, and when you feel good you ride good.”
The result see’s Willoughby lose his season lead to Phillips, and now trails by 30 points with two rounds remaining, while Turner jumps up considerably to ninth.
In the elite women, Reynolds chose lane eight in the women’s final, and after a less than ideal start weaved her way through the pack to finish third, as Alice Post claimed the win from Olympic champion Mariana Pajon.
Kirsten Della produced her best performance of the season to finish in 10th, falling just short of qualifying for her first world cup final, while Caroline Buchanan finished in 14th after she was forced to avoid a fallen rider, subsequently losing control of her bike. The result see’s her slip to fifth in the season standings behind new leader Post, while Reynolds is now sixth.
Other Aussies in action on the day were Rachel Jones (22nd), Melinda McLeod (31st) and Leanna Curtis (32nd). As well as Josh Callan (18th), Corey Frieswyk (26th), Anthony Dean (29th), Matthew Juster (34th), Kai Sakakibara (45th) and Bradley Game 64th.
Attention now turns to the fourth round of the season in Santiago Del Estero, Argentina from September 5-6.
BMX Australia
