BMX Worlds begins with multiple American medals

Pietermartizburg, South Africa (July 29, 2010) — The United States celebrated five medals as the UCI BMX World Championships opened at the Royal Showgrounds in South Africa with the 13 and under boys and girls divisions. Julian Dittrick (Phoenix, Ariz.), Michael Gonzales (Watsonville, Calif.) and Collin Hudson (Longmont, Colo.) each earned world titles with wins in their respective divisions.

Amakye Andersen (Tucson, Ariz.) secured the first American medal with a silver in the seven-year-old boys division. He was quickly followed by a dominating American performance in the eight-year-old boys division as Dittrick earned his rainbow stripes with Wyatt Bell (Berthoud, Colo.) grabbing the bronze and Matthew Sterling (Saratoga, Calif.) in fourth.

The U.S. suffered from rare near misses with only one rider in the top eight in the nine-year-old boys division and Max Burhenn (Fortville, Ind.) just missing the podium in fourth for the 10-year-old age group.

Gonzales and Hudson wrapped up the morning strong for the U.S. team, winning national titles in the 11 and 13-year-old divisions respectively.

With a limited number of American girls in attendance, the U.S. did not come away with a medal in the young junior girls divisions. New Zealand racers also fared well in the junior challenge classes, winning golds in the 13-year-old girls division, 5-6 boys division in the seven-year-old boys.

The afternoon session gave the big crowd a first glimpse of the form of the top elite men as they went through their first practice session on the track, testing the start ramp and the big jump at the end of the second straight that catapults them over the challenger classes turning berm.

The second day of the UCI BMX World Champs features the challenge class finals for the 14 and over juniors and the masters classes, followed by the elite junior men's and women's time trials in the afternoon.

UCI BMX World Championships
Pietermartizburg, South Africa
July 29 — Aug. 1

Day One (full results)

5 - 8 GIRLS
1. Tyler-Shae Donaldson ZIM
2. Desree Barnes AUS
3. Darcie Taylor GBR

9 GIRLS
1. Georgina Grassie RSA
2. Jessie Smith NZL
3. Mikayla Beraman NZL

10 GIRLS
1. Kanami Tanno JPN
2. Laurine Citi FRA
3. Nicole van Munster RSA

11 GIRLS
1. Saya Sakakibara JPN
2. Dion Bromley AUS
3. Shanayah Howell ARU

12 GIRLS
1. Axelle Etienne FRA
2. Manon Veenstra NED
3. Merel Smulders NED

13 GIRLS
1.Tahlia Hansen NZL
2.Abigail Fox NZL
3.Annaliese Rokov AUS

5 - 6 BOYS
1. Lachlan Stevens Mcnabb NZL
2. Emilio Durini ECU
3. Ondrej Matejik CZE

7 BOYS
1. Rico Bearman NZL
2. Amakye Andersen (Tucson, Ariz.)
3. Luke Rossiter GBR

8 BOYS
1. Julian Dittrick (Phoenix, Ariz.)
2. Shafath Moreeano ECU
3. Wyatt Bell (Berthoud, Colo.)

9 BOYS
1. Tayne Turnock ZIM
2. Reid Kuller AUS
3. Matthew Denslow ZIM

10 BOYS
1. Jaden Rice AUS
2. Baptiste Viellard FRA
3. Broc Meter ZIM

11 BOYS
1. Michael Gonzales (Watsonville, Calif.)
2. Axel Webster RSA
3. Franco Ezeqiuel Soriano ARG

12 BOYS
1. Jake Tunney AUS
2. Paolo Cortez ECU
3. Giovanni Fini ARG

13 BOYS
1. Collin Hudson (Longmont, Colo.)
2. Juan Carlos Diaz Serna COL
3. Brandon Te Hiko AUS

About USA Cycling
Recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and the Union Cycliste Internationale, USA Cycling is the official governing body for all disciplines of competitive cycling in the United States, including road, track, mountain bike, BMX and cyclo-cross. As a membership-based organization, USA Cycling comprises 66,500+ licensees; 2,200 clubs and teams; and 34 local associations. The national governing body sanctions 2,650 competitive and non-competitive events throughout the U.S. each year and is responsible for the identification, development, and support of American cyclists. To learn more about USA Cycling, visit www.usacycling.org.