BMX: London Olympic silver medallist Sam Willoughby will return to international action in this weekend’s UCI BMX Supercross world cup event in Papendal in the Netherlands, ready to show his pre-Rio form.
The two-time elite men’s world champion and Australia’s most decorated BMX rider will be joined in Papendal by a host of fellow Australians, including women’s world cup leader Caroline Buchanan.
The Papendal event is the third world cup of the year and the final chance to gain some form and confidence ahead of the UCI BMX World Championships in Medellin, Colombia at the end of the month.
The world championships are then the final opportunity for riders to earn world rankings points and impress selectors ahead of the naming of Australia’s Olympic BMX contingent for Rio soon after.
Willoughby missed the last round of the world cup series to concentrate on training at his base in San Diego and says he is now in great form.
“The last few months of training has gone really well and the last four weeks leading into Papendal this weekend was really beneficial,” Willoughby said from the Australian team training camp in the Netherlands.
“Everything is on track for my first goal of the year being the world championships.”
Willoughby always planned to miss the season’s second world cup round in Manchester but says the upcoming events are a huge part of Rio preparations.
“It was always part of my plan to skip Manchester in order to be ready for Papendal and ultimately the World Championships,” the 24-year-old, who will celebrate his next birthday in Rio, if selected, said.
“All these races are the best opportunities to learn and iron out the kinks and a great opportunity to gather up some momentum.”
Willoughby will head up a strong Australian men’s contingent that includes fellow world top 12 riders and Olympic hopefuls Anthony Dean and Bodi Turner as well as BMX Australia Development Academy riders Josh Callan, Corey Frieswyk, Matt Juster, Tristyn Kronk and Kai Sakakibara and unheralded Michael Williams.
Australia’s women’s contingent is smaller but equally as strong with Buchanan, London Olympian Lauren Reynolds and fellow Rio hopeful Melinda McLeod all entered.
Buchanan has begun 2016 in fine style winning both the first two rounds of this year’s Supercross world cup series in Santiago del Estero (Argentina) and Manchester (United Kingdom).
The action in Papendal begins on Saturday at 10pm (AEST) with the qualifying motos for those outside the world’s top 16 men and top eight women, before the top ranked riders compete in the time trials from 1230am Sunday (AEST).
The main event begins on Sunday night at 9pm (AEST) with finals set down for just after midnight.
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