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Born | (1999-08-23) 23 August 1999 (age 25) Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Saya Sakakibara (born 23 August 1999) is an Australian cyclist competing in BMX racing events.
Personal and early life
Sakakibara was born on the Gold Coast, Queensland, to a mother of Japanese heritage and a father of British citizenship. She started BMX racing at the age of four after watching her older brother Kai competing. 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.
As of 2019, Sakakibara is dating fellow BMX racer, Romain Mahieu.
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. She was selected for the delayed 2020 Summer Olympics as part of the Australian team. She crashed in the semi-finals of the Olympics and did not qualify for the final.
She won the 2023 UCI BMX Racing World Cup and retained her title in Tulsa in 2024.
She won gold at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
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
- 2023
- 1st UCI BMX Racing World Cup
- 1st Oceania Championships
- 1st Elite BMX National Championships
- 2024
- 1st UCI BMX Racing World Cup
- XXXIII Olympics (Paris 2024) Gold Medal Women's Cycling BMX Racing
References
- "Saya Sakakibara Australian CyclingTeam". Retrieved 30 July 2021.
- "Identity of Mixed-Race Athletes BMX Kai & Saya Sakakibara (Part 2)". SBS Language.
- "Saya Sakakibara Profile". auscycling.org.au.
- Norris, Emma. "Meet 17-Year-Old Pro BMX Rider And Certified Badass, Saya Sakakibara". sporteluxe. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
- "Saya Sakakibara". Australian Olympic Committee. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
- "BMX Racing: Saya Sakakibara (AUS) wins women's gold". Olympics. 2 August 2024. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
- "Richie Porte named 2020 AusCycling Cyclist of the Year". 17 February 2021. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
- "Husband and wife mountain bikers and first-time BMX riders named for Tokyo Olympics". news.com.au. 16 June 2021. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
- "Aussie Olympic History with BMX and Mountain Bike Selections for Tokyo 2020". Australian Olympic Committee. 16 June 2021. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
- "BMX medal hopeful Saya Sakakibara crashes out of Olympics in heartbreaking circumstances". 7News. 30 July 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
- Doherty, Luke (29 April 2024). "Aussie duo's huge Olympics statement in BMX World Cup triumphs". Foxsports.com.au. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
- 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.
- "Race F2 – Superclass Women Final". Retrieved 19 December 2021.
- "UCI BMX Racing World Cup - Round 10". UCI. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
- "Australia dominates Oceania BMX Racing Championships". AusCycling. 17 April 2023. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
- "Aussie duo's huge Olympics statement in BMX World Cup triumphs". Fox Sports. 29 April 2024. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
External links
- Saya Sakakibara at UCI BMX Supercross World Cup
- Saya Sakakibara at Olympedia (archive)
- Saya Sakakibara at Olympics.com
- Saya Sakakibara at the Australian Olympic Committee
Olympic Cycling Champions in Women's BMX Racing | |
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- 1999 births
- Living people
- Australian BMX riders
- Australian female cyclists
- Olympic cyclists for Australia
- Cyclists at the 2020 Summer Olympics
- Australian people of British descent
- Australian people of Japanese descent
- Sportspeople of Japanese descent
- Sportspeople from the Gold Coast, Queensland
- Sportswomen from Queensland
- Medalists at the 2024 Summer Olympics
- Cyclists at the 2024 Summer Olympics
- Olympic gold medalists for Australia
- Olympic gold medalists in cycling