Mariana Pajon exclusive: "For me it is a very big responsibility to inspire people"

Mariana Pajon is feeling better on her bike now than she has done in years.

On Sunday (3 October), the two-time Olympic champion landed her first win of the 2022 UCI BMX Racing World Cup in the last event of the season in Bogota, Colombia.

The victory capped a roller-coaster campaign for the 30-year old Colombian, who injured her back and neck as well as suffering a concussion in a bad crash in Papendal, which made her begin to doubt her ability.

But after demonstrating her mental fortitude to rediscover her best form, and bag some vital UCI BMX Racing Olympic ranking points ahead of Paris 2024, what is next for Pajon?

After her win in the Colombian capital, Olympics.com asked the ‘Queen of BMX’ what her plans were, why the win in front of her home fans in Bogota was so important, and how she wants to be remembered in the sport.

READ MORE: How to qualify for BMX racing at Paris 2024

Olympics.com: In March, you said Paris 2024 was not necessarily one of your goals. Then in July you said that you would take it race by race. Your husband Vincent Pelluard retired in April this year and with all your injuries, how much longer do you want to continue competing?

Mariana Pajon: Well, I don't know yet. Paris 2024 is not part of my big plan and I’ve not decided yet. I would have to put everything on the table and go for it 100% because I would not go to Paris just to see how that goes. If I'm going it's going to give it my all, so it's a decision that is not only made by me, but also with my family, my husband. We're deciding at the moment, but something that has given me a lot of motivation is how I've been riding here. These last rounds of the World Cup have given me, I think, I’ve found extra power that I haven't felt for two years. So I'm glad I am here, and let's see what happens next.

Many things influence an athlete to make such a big decision. The Olympic cycle is a lifestyle and you have to deliver. All of that means being away from your family for a long time. You are giving your body, your soul, and your heart to a project. My body, with all of my injuries, sometimes says ‘rest, take some time’. Being a mother, spending more time with my family, I think that is the most beautiful thing, that it is time that I won’t get back.

O: How did you manage to keep going mentally this season, after suffering a terrible accident at Papendal?

MP: I’ve taken a lot of blows this season. In Papendal I tore discs in my back and damaged neck ligaments. Following that, I had two disastrous semi-finals in Glasgow and I started to ask myself “What is that? I'm riding as if someone else is on my bike.”

I got through it by being mentally tenacious and I had to make decisions to change my plans. Originally, I had planned to not ride much and relax in the second part of the season, and to not even compete at the World Cup in Bogota. But I love riding, that's why I train, I live it. So when I was prevented from riding in the first half of the season I decided, “I don't know how I am physically, but mentally I want to try and run and be here.” It was like a roller coaster ride where I was way down at the lowest end, and now I am climbing up again.

O: You are very active on social media where you often post about training, but also about your life with your husband and some inspirational messages. What role does it play for you?

MP: For me, social media is love and hate! It's very nice because it brings people closer together, but at the same time it doesn't show reality because real life has to be lived 24/7 to understand it. All the problems, all the challenges that you have. Everything always looks so beautiful online, but you can bring changes by showing a lot more. I can show my reality which is like any other. We have a life, a normal family, we are athletes who train, who work hard. That's the beauty of social media. Sometimes it's hard for me to see the networks with no filters. And behind a screen it's so easy to hurt someone or be intolerant and not respectful. But at the same time, what you can do and what you can control is to make changes and generate positive things in what you are writing and showing.

O: How important is it for you to be a role model in Colombia?

MP: For me it is a very big responsibility to inspire people, to leave a legacy, to be seen as someone who leaves something positive to society: to women, to children, to those people who dream and suddenly think that their dreams are too big. At five years old, I said that I wanted to be the best in the world and that dream was huge, but I could fulfil it. I wasn't born with any star power, I just put that responsibility on myself and showed others that they can too. If I succeeded, anyone can do it. That's a really nice thing. I love being able to be not only a champion, but also to be able to leave a legacy behind my triumphs. It's my responsibility too.

O: In September this year you sent an inspiring message to the daughter of Colombian footballer superstar James Rodriguez & Colombian volleyball player Daniela Ospina after she missed out on selection at a dance audition. What kind of a relationship or friendship do you have with Daniela and James?

MP: Well, if there's one nice thing sports can do, it's bringing people together. I have had the opportunity to meet all those Colombian idols, to get to know many of them on a deeper level than what people see on television and that is very nice. These people do beautiful things in their lives. I’ve known Daniela Ospina for a long time, David, her brother, and (daughter) Salome since she was a little girl. We haven't had much time to share because everyone has their crazy projects… But hey, I always get the best energy from them. They're always there, they also give me supportive and great messages.

O: What do you see as your legacy so far, and what else would you like to achieve on and off the bike?

MP: I’d like to be remembered as someone who was always happy on her bike, who regardless of whether she was injured or at her best, simply went out on the track to do her best. Someone who loved what she did and who hopefully left positive things to the sport, someone who increased the sport’s profile. That's what obviously every cyclist wants, but beyond that, as an Olympian I want to leave something positive for all of us.

In the future there are many things I want to achieve. I want to continue riding my bike, to continue to be happy on my bike, to be better than before, to be able to achieve more beautiful things with my family, to have a big and beautiful family in good health. And to have a more united country would be great too.