Saya Sakakibara
Personal information
Born (1999-08-23) 23 August 1999
Gold Coast, Australia
Medal record
Women's BMX racing
Representing  Australia
Supercross World Cup
Silver medal – second place 2018Elite Women
Silver medal – second place 2020Elite Women
World Junior Championships
Silver medal – second place 2017 Rock HillJunior Women

Saya Sakakibara (born 23 August 1999)[1] is an Australian cyclist competing in BMX Supercross events.

Personal and early life

Sakakibara was born in Australia to a mother of Japanese heritage and a father of British heritage.[2] She started BMX racing at the age of four after watching her older brother competing.[3] The family moved to Sydney in 2007 and Sakakibara joined the South Illawarra BMX Club where her brother Kai was a member. She then began competing on the junior circuits and quickly rose through the ranks winning state and national titles.[4]

Career

Sakakibara has represented Australia at World Championship level. She won a silver medal in the Junior Elite BMX Supercross at the 2017 World Championships. She was awarded AusCycling's Female BMX Racing Rider of the Year in 2020.[5] She was selected for the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games as part of the Australian team.[6][7] She crashed in the semi-finals of the Olympics and didn't qualify for the final.[8] Her accident was one of the scariest moments of the games, while her post-race heartbreak was one of the saddest.[9]

Major results

2016
1st Junior Elite BMX Supercross National Championships
1st Junior Elite BMX Supercross Oceania Championships
2017
1st Junior Elite BMX Supercross National Championships
1st Junior Elite BMX Supercross Oceania Championships
2nd Junior Elite BMX Supercross World Championships
2018
6th Elite BMX Supercross World Championships
2019
1st Elite BMX Supercross Oceania Championships
1st Elite Tokyo 2020 BMX Test Event
7th Elite BMX Supercross World Championships
2021
1st Superclass Women BMX National Championships[10]
2023
1st UCI BMX Racing World Cup[11]
1st Oceania Championships[12]
1st Elite BMX National Championships

References

  1. ↑ "Saya Sakakibara Australian Cycling Team". Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  2. ↑ "Saya Sakakibara Profile - Australian Cycling Team". Australian Cycling Team. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
  3. ↑ Norris, Emma. "Meet 17-Year-Old Pro BMX Rider And Certified Badass, Saya Sakakibara". sporteluxe. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
  4. ↑ "Saya Sakakibara". Australian Olympic Committee. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  5. ↑ "Richie Porte named 2020 AusCycling Cyclist of the Year". 17 February 2021. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  6. ↑ "Husband and wife mountain bikers and first-time BMX riders named for Tokyo Olympics". news.com.au. 16 June 2021. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  7. ↑ "Aussie Olympic History with BMX and Mountain Bike Selections for Tokyo 2020". Australian Olympic Committee. 16 June 2021. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  8. ↑ "BMX medal hopeful Saya Sakakibara crashes out of Olympics in heartbreaking circumstances". 7News. 30 July 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  9. ↑ "Australian Olympic Team for Tokyo 2021". The Roar. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  10. ↑ "Race F2 – Superclass Women Final". Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  11. ↑ "UCI BMX Racing World Cup - Round 10". UCI. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  12. ↑ "Australia dominates Oceania BMX Racing Championships". AusCycling. 17 April 2023. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
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