2023 BMX Freestyle World Cup in Bazhong: Logan Martin and Ya Wen Deng win final stop
Reigning Olympic champion Logan Martin won his third World Cup of the season to also finish first on the overall rankings after the final leg of the series. Local rider Ya Wen Deng beat five-time world champion Hannah Roberts in the women's competition.
Cycling BMX Freestyle
Australian Olympic champion Logan Martin won a closely fought battle at the fourth and final UCI freestyle park event of the season in Bazhong, People’s Republic of China on Sunday (15 October).
The 2023 BMX Freestyle World Cup season came to a climactic conclusion in China, which also offered Olympic qualification points in the race to reach Paris 2024.
Martin, who already had the top spot on the overall rankings sealed, was embroiled in an exhilarating tit-for-tat battle against newly crowned world champion Kieran Reilly and Anthony Jeanjean.
The Australian ace threw down the gauntlet in his first run to move to the top of the standings in the second heat of the final with a score of 94.10. His superb run triggered a full-blown battle, with the three protagonists taking turns at the top of the standings.
Frenchman Jeanjean relegated Martin into second place after scoring 95.00 on his run, while Reilly crashed on his first attempt. Reilly, the first man to land a triple flair trick, briefly rearranged the standings on his second run, moving into the top spot with an impressive score of 96.56.
Martin then delivered the knockout blow to leapfrog Reilly and Jeanjean to reclaim the top spot with a score of 96.74 in a second run that included a variety of tricks and combinations.
Jeanjean improved slightly on his first run, but it was not enough to make any difference to the make-up of the podium and had to settle for third place (95.70), with Reilly finishing ahead of him in second.
Martin finished the season in first place on the overall World Cup men's rankings with 3,820 points with Reilly finishing as runner-up courtesy of his performance in China. Only 20 points separated him from Jeanjean (2,890) in third place.
Men’s BMX freestyle (park) results:
- Logan Martin (AUS) - 96.74
- Kim Reilly (GBR) - 96.56
- Anthony Jeanjean (FRA) - 95.70
- Marin Rantes (CRO) - 92.20
- Marcus Christopher (USA) - 89.00
- Nick Bruce (USA) - 88.70
- Dylan Hessey (GBR) - 87.70
- Daniel Dhers (VEN) - 86.70
- Gustavo Oliviera (BRA) - 84.80
- Brian Fox (USA) - 66.60
- Rimu Nakamura (JPN) - 46.60
- Daniel Sandoval (USA) 41.80
Ya Wen Deng edges Hannah Roberts for women's title
In the women’s competition, Ya Wen Deng delighted her home supporters by claiming her first victory on the World Cup circuit this year.
Ya finished the competition in the top spot with an impressive score of 93.84 with five-time world champion and Olympic silver medallist Hannah Roberts of the United States in second with 91.00. Roberts was flanked by two Chinese riders on the podium with Sibei Sun finishing third with a score of 89.20.
Roberts still cemented her place at the top of the overall World Cup women's rankings with 3,700 points after winning the first leg and finishing second in the remaining three. Sun moved into second place with compatriot Zhou Huimin, who won the events in Montpellier and in Brussels, finishing third.
Women’s BMX freestyle (park) results:
- Ya Wen Deng (CHN) - 93.84
- Hannah Roberts (USA) - 91.00
- Sibei Sun (CHN) - 89.20
- Natalya Diemh (AUS) - 84.30
- Iveta Miculycova (CZE) - 84.20
- Zihui Fan (CHN) - 83.50
- Nikita Ducarroz (SUI) - 83.00
- Huimin Zhou (CHN) - 82.00
- Charlotte Worthington (GBR) - 79.26
- Jiaqi Sun (CHN) - 78.40
- Honglin Xia (CHN) - 74.20
- Sarah Nicki (AUS) - 73.00