Thursday, July 26, 2007

Day One: The Sun was shining in Victoria

The sun was shining in Victoria for day one of the UCI BMX World Championships. Practice sessions have been taking place all week on the expertly designed track as athletes from all over the world have been preparing for the big event. Riders as young as five, hit the track showcasing their talent to an eager crowd. There was a frenzy of action and excitement as young BMXers readied themselves for their motos, and parents and spectators enjoyed the first set of races.

In the Girls 5-7-age category, it was Madison Martinez (USA) who edged out Yentil Nijs (BEL) to take first place. Six year old, Canadian rider Zoe Nygaard placed third and Canadian teammate Natalie Schmidt was just behind in fourth place.

Canada had a strong contingent in the Boys 5-6 age category. There were four young Canadians who placed in the top 8. But it was Ethan Wolthers who reigned supreme. Second place went to Cristobal Malo (ECU). Canadian Jared Hildebrandt placed third overall.

Following the girls, the boys aged 7 were waiting to heat up the track. It was Jesus Matias Brizuela from Argentina who captured first place with Colby Bowman (USA) in second. Cristobal Lopez from Chili finished a close third.

These young riders were fired up and looking in fine form as they raced at top speeds. No easy feat for these youngsters racing on such a technical track. The track was designed especially for this world championship event and took about two weeks to construct.

In Boys 8 action, it was Tyler Fuller (USA) who came away with first place hardware. Teammate Landon Sellers was just behind in second with Alvarro Buenano working hard to garner a third place spot. USA teammates Erik Meyer and Vaughn Herrick placed fourth and fifth respectively.

And in the Girls 8 category Canada had a strong showing; with 4 out of 6 riders making it to the podium. First place went to Shanayah Howell who travelled all the way from Aruba for this competition. Edging her way to a second place finish was Kasey Knowles from Canada. Teammates Alexie Pusch (3rd) and Cayleigh Van Staalduinen (4th) rounded out the Canadian contingent.

In the Girls 9 division, Kelsey Van Ogle (USA) captured first, but following close on her heels was teammate Lexa Jones in second. Third place went to Manon Veenstra (NED) and fourth to Chilean rider Camila Guerra.

It was Canadian Parker Simson who was all smiles as he received his top place trophy in the Boys 9 division. Ryan Pettigrew (USA) captured second while teammate Lucas Howes (USA) finished just behind to take third.

The intensity level shifted up a notch as the older riders hit the track. The competition was tight as riders struggled to make it to the finals. Veronika Gulvin (USA) was on top of her game as she took first place in the Girls age 10 category. Second place went to Canadian Daina Tuchscherer with Maria Peinado from Bolivia finishing in third. Canadians Victoria Stinson and Drew Mechielsen placed seventh and eighth respectively.

It was an exciting day for three USA riders. They were stoked to have their photos taken on the winner’s podium since they captured the top three spots in Boys 10 action. It was Brock Heffron in first, Michael Bandy in second and Collin Hudson in third. Juan Ospina from Columbia placed fourth while Canadian riders Alex Winters placed 6th with Brett Sieders in 7th.

Riding to a first place finish in the Girls 11 age category was New Zealand rider Hannah Sarten. Just behind in second place was Domenica Azuero (ECU) and in a tight third place Viviana VanHees (NED) crossed the finish.

In Boys 11 action, Alden Volle (USA) was pleased to find himself at the front of the pack finishing first overall. Teammate Sean Gaian (USA) captured second place, while Canadian rider Hayden Mechielsen finished a close third.

It was tire to tire in the Boys 12 age category as athletes battled it out for the finish. Tyler Whitfield (USA) stepped it up at the finish to capture first place. Mael Levay from France edged out Jordi Schippers (NED) to place second. Schippers placed third while Alenjandro Hernan Santillan from Argentina finished in fourth.

It was the USA all the way in Girls 12 action. Felicia Stancil placed first overall with teammates Shayona Glynn in 2nd, Allison Sennett in 3rd, and Brianna Cummings in 4th. Just behind the USA riders, were Canadians Michelle Berti and Erin Sawatzki.

Again it was four deep for the USA in Boys 13 BMX action. It was Rusty Nesvig who put on the wheels to emerge victorious in this highly competitive age class. Anthony Derosa was just behind in second place, while teammate Nathan Padilla edged out teammate Jordan Miranda for third. Miranda finished up in fourth place.

In the Girl’s 13 competition, Elis Ligtlee (NED) was pleased to take the podium receiving her award for her first place finish. Receiving second place was Tiffany Bontorno (USA). Third place went to Audrey Harvey (USA).

The final competition for the day saw the 14 year olds giving it their all on the course. In the Girl’s division, Melinda Mcleod (AUS) put the pedal power on as she edged out the competition for a first place finish. It was Enora LeRoux from France capturing second, with Lacey Oliver (AUS) finishing a close third overall.

Rounding out the day, in the 14 Boy’s final moto it was Weslely Gunn (USA) who showed he had what it takes to finish in first place. It was team USA faring well on the podium yet again. William Russell took home a second place trophy with teammate Jordan Ryan (USA) finishing the day up in third place.

It was a pleasure to see so many young athletes working hard and obviously pleased with their accomplishments. Just making it to world competition is a thrill in itself. Congratulations to all who participated today. And watch out for many of these young riders, they will be our future Olympians.
BMX Action Fri.

In BMX action tomorrow, the day begins with motos 80-83 Masters class. Riders are between the ages of 32-36. The top four riders will advance to the semi finals. If you are headed down to the track you won’t want to miss the 16 Boy’s division. With nine motos in this division, the racing will be highly competitive. These young guys love to get air on the jumps which is exciting BMX action for spectators. Look for the Australian riders to fare well in competition.

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