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Saya Sakakibara

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Saya Sakakibara
Sakakibara in 2022
Personal information
Born (1999-08-23) 23 August 1999 (age 25)
Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
Medal record
Representing  Australia
Women's BMX racing
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games 1 0 0
World Junior Championships 0 1 0
World Cup 2 2 0
World Cup rounds 10 7 3
Oceania Championships 2 0 0
Oceania Junior Championships 2 0 0
Total 17 10 3
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2024 Paris BMX racing
World Cup
Gold medal – first place 2023 BMX racing
Gold medal – first place 2024 BMX racing
Silver medal – second place 2018 BMX racing
Silver medal – second place 2020 BMX racing
Oceania Championships
Gold medal – first place 2019 Te Awamutu BMX racing
Gold medal – first place 2023 Rotorua BMX racing
World Junior Championships
Silver medal – second place 2017 Rock Hill BMX racing
Oceania Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 2016 Auckland BMX racing
Gold medal – first place 2017 Bathurst BMX racing

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

Personal and early life

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Sakakibara was born on the Gold Coast, Queensland, to a mother of Japanese heritage and a father of British citizenship.[2] She started BMX racing at the age of four after watching her older brother Kai competing.[3][4] 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.[5]

As of 2019, Sakakibara is dating fellow BMX racer, Romain Mahieu.[6]

Career

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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.[7] She was selected for the delayed 2020 Summer Olympics as part of the Australian team.[8][9] She crashed in the semi-finals of the Olympics and did not qualify for the final.[10]

She won the 2023 UCI BMX Racing World Cup and retained her title in Tulsa in 2024.[11]

She won gold at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.[12]

Major results

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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[13]
2023
1st UCI BMX Racing World Cup[14]
1st Oceania Championships[15]
1st Elite BMX National Championships
2024
1st UCI BMX Racing World Cup[16]
XXXIII Olympics (Paris 2024) Gold Medal Women's Cycling BMX Racing

References

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  1. ^ "Saya Sakakibara Australian CyclingTeam". Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  2. ^ "Identity of Mixed-Race Athletes BMX Kai & Saya Sakakibara (Part 2)". SBS Language.
  3. ^ "Saya Sakakibara Profile". auscycling.org.au.
  4. ^ Norris, Emma. "Meet 17-Year-Old Pro BMX Rider And Certified Badass, Saya Sakakibara". sporteluxe. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
  5. ^ "Saya Sakakibara". Australian Olympic Committee. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  6. ^ "BMX Racing: Saya Sakakibara (AUS) wins women's gold". Olympics. 2 August 2024. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  7. ^ "Richie Porte named 2020 AusCycling Cyclist of the Year". 17 February 2021. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  8. ^ "Husband and wife mountain bikers and first-time BMX riders named for Tokyo Olympics". news.com.au. 16 June 2021. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  9. ^ "Aussie Olympic History with BMX and Mountain Bike Selections for Tokyo 2020". Australian Olympic Committee. 16 June 2021. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  10. ^ "BMX medal hopeful Saya Sakakibara crashes out of Olympics in heartbreaking circumstances". 7News. 30 July 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  11. ^ Doherty, Luke (29 April 2024). "Aussie duo's huge Olympics statement in BMX World Cup triumphs". Foxsports.com.au. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  12. ^ Snape, Jack (2 August 2024). "Saya Sakakibara overcomes setbacks and trauma to win BMX gold for Australia and her brother". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
  13. ^ "Race F2 – Superclass Women Final". Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  14. ^ "UCI BMX Racing World Cup - Round 10". UCI. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  15. ^ "Australia dominates Oceania BMX Racing Championships". AusCycling. 17 April 2023. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  16. ^ "Aussie duo's huge Olympics statement in BMX World Cup triumphs". Fox Sports. 29 April 2024. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
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