• Home
• | Terms & conditions
• | Contact us
• | RSS

Gold for SA on first day of BMX Worlds

30 July 2010

South African juniors won gold, silver and bronze medals on the opening day of the UCI BMX World Championships in Pietermaritzburg, with nine-year-old Johannesburg schoolgirl Georgina Grassie being crowned world champion.

Grassie was all smiles and danced cheekily on the podium after holding off concerted charges from New Zealand girls Jesse Smith and Mikayla Bearman in the 9 Girls main final to scoop the world number one title.

Durban racer Axel Webster picked up a silver medal in the 11 Boys main final, while a third South African, Nicole von Munster, finished third in the 10 Girls final.

New Zealand dominance

New Zealand racers were dominant in the junior challenge classes, winning gold medals in the 13 Girls through Tahlia Hansen, 5-6 Boys through Lachlan Stevens McNabb, and in 7 Boys with Rico Bearman winning the gold.

There were loads of cheers for Zimbabwean riders, who enjoyed neighbourly support from the local crowd as Tyler-Shae Donaldson (5-6 Girls) and Tayne Turnock (9 Boys) scooped world titles.

US riders took home three junior world titles for world number one Julian Dittrick (8 Boys), Michael Gonzalez (11 Boys) and the stand-out junior rider Colin Hudson (13 Boys).

Grassie's gold

Grassie's gold in the 9 Girls final crowned a thrilling start to the World Championships, watched by a big crowd at the Royal Showgrounds.

She took time to warm to the event, finishing third in her first moto. A second in her next moto earned her a place in the final where she found her feet and raced away to an early lead which, even under considerable pressure from the two new Zealanders, she never relinquished.

Australian Jaden Rice posted one of the strongest performances of the day. He shot through on the first berm turn to instantly turn the race into a dice for the silver medal. His compatriot Jake Tunney was just as dominant as he showed his class in the 12 Boys final.

Zimbabwean success

In the first girls' final, Argentinean rider Cingolani Francesca fell heavily on the second straight after coming off the tabletop badly and was stretchered off to receive medical attention. Ahead of her Zimbabwean Tyler-Shae Donaldson pulled off an audacious slice inside the first berm to slingshot into the lead, which she never looked like surrendering on her way to victory.

The girls racing finished with a decisive 1-2 for Japan, as Kanami Tanno capitalised on a start ramp holeshot to win the 10 Girls title, just a minute before Saya Sakakibara added another gold in the 11 Girls decider.

The girls racing ended with a New Zealand double as Tahlia hansen and Abigail Fox claimed the top two spots on the podium early on in the 13 Girls final.

Elite practice

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, and tested the start ramp and the big jump at the end of the second straight that catapults them over the challenger classes' turning berm.

Sifiso Nhlapo gave his fans plenty to cheer about, while Olympic champ Maris Strombergs and Australian rising star Sam Willoughby proved that they are in top form for their showdown on the weekend.

RESULTS

DAY ONE UCI BMX WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

5-7, 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 (USA)


3. Luke Rossiter (GBR)

8 BOYS

1. Julian Dittrick (USA)


2. Shafath Moreeano (Ecu)


3. Wyatt Bell (USA)

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 (USA)


2. Axel Webster (RSA)


3. Franco Ezeqiuel Soriano (Arg)

12 BOYS

1. Jake Tunney (Aus)


2. Paolo Cortez (Ecu)


3. Giovanni Fini (Arg)

12 BOYS

1. Collin Hudson (USA)


2. Juan Carlos Diaz Serna (Col)


3. Brandon Te Hiko (Aus)

SAinfo reporter