BMX: As the gate drops and Sam Willoughby hurtles down the start hill, all power and grit, a commentator with a strong Aussie twang screams into the microphone.
‘As they hit the bottom of the ramp and take the first jump in the elite men’s final it’s Sam I AM with the world one plate on the machine, Sam Willoughby, out in front’.
We’ve all heard it. Sam I Am. Sam Willoughby, the golden boy of Australian BMX racing, the man, who for the last 12 months has had the honour of racing with the W1 plate on his bike and the rainbow stripes on his sleeve.
Sam I Am, the world champion.
Twice he’s been world champion in the coveted elite men’s category and in July in Zolder, Belgium he aims to turn that double into a triple.
Based in California for most of the year, Willoughby has been training well, regularly putting in time on the Super Cross track in Chula Vista and believes he’s in better form now than he was this time last year. And we all know what happened then. It’s a scary sign for his rivals.
“My preparation has been going to plan so far,” Willoughby said.
“I have been based at my home in Chula Vista, California, where we have had access to the Super Cross track twice a week which has made for a really great preparation.
“My prep has been similar in some ways (to 2014) with being based here in Chula Vista and in some what of an eight week lock down with my coach Sean Dwight and our training group.
“I would say progression wise I am ahead of where I was last year and having access to a Super Cross track on a weekly bases is a big help.”
One could be forgiven for feeling the man with the biggest target on his back could be feeling the weight of the BMX world on his strong shoulders but Willoughby says there is no greater expectation that what he puts on himself.
“I don't feel extra pressure being world champion, I just feel the same expectation I put on myself every week to perform,” the 23-year-old said.
“One thing I have learnt over the years is that if I cross all my t's and dot all my i's then I am well on my way to winning the race, so my focus is purely on that.”
Willoughby has less experience on the Zolder track that will host the world championships than some of his European rivals but the circuit is not totally foreign to him either.
“I haven't raced there but we did practice there at the end of May and the track is still somewhat tight for an outdoor track, but obviously a lot bigger than last year’s.
“I think the race is still won or lost in the first straight. However the third straight will catch some people out as its quite technical.
“The key is the same as always though, get out front and ride clean laps which requires being sound in all the skill areas of our sport.”
Willoughby will head into the Zolder event as the pre-race favourite but his result there is not the be-all and end-all of this story. It’s a step along the way. A stop on the journey.
Really, it’s all part of the Road to Rio. The four year Olympic dream that Willoughby is working on every single minute of every single day to turn the silver he won in London, to gold in 2016.
BMX Australia
