BMX Racing World Championships Rock Hill: Preview, Schedule and how to watch
Cycling BMX Racing
The world's best BMX riders are heading to Rock Hill, South Carolina, for the 2024 UCI BMX Racing World Championships (12-18 May). An estimated 3,500 riders will represent more than 45 nations, with the elite among them vying for quota points for the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
The World Championships follow the sixth and final stop of the UCI World Cup in Tulsa (27–28 April ), which was dominated by Australian riders, with Saya Sakakibara and Izaac Kennedy crowned World Cup series champions.
Defending their World Championship titles will be the Tokyo 2020 gold medalist from Great Britain, Bethany Shriever, and the UCI points leader from France, Romain Mahieu.
This World Championships will be one of the final opportunities for riders to earn quota points ahead of the next Olympic Games - so the stakes are high in this one.
As National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective countries at the Olympic Games, athletes' participation at the Paris Games depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation at Paris 2024.
How are nations currently ranked for quotas?
BMX Racing Olympic quota spots are secured by UCI rankings. In women’s BMX, the Netherlands are holding on to the top spot, followed by the United States in second, which translates to three quotas for Paris 2024. Australia, Switzerland and Colombia are ranked 3 to 5, respectively, meaning they would get two quotas each. The remaining countries ranked through 10 will earn one nation quota spot.
In the men’s rankings, France already has one quota as the host nation but are in a position to obtain a total of three thanks to its dominant first-place standing. Colombia are in second, meaning they would also get three spots, followed by Switzerland, the United States and Great Britain, which each hold on to two spots. The countries ranked 6-10 will each earn one quota spot in Paris.
Who are the riders to watch at Rock Hill?
The World Championships are considered the hardest race of the year. Fortunately, riders have had the whole World Cup season to prepare for this weekend.
In the women’s field, all eyes will be on Australia’s Sakakibara, who is the woman to beat. She defended her 2023 Overall World Cup title in Tulsa with a remarkable total of four World Cup wins and two second-place finishes. She comes into Rock Hill as the UCI points leader and most dominant women’s rider.
Of course, also look for Great Britain's Shriever, the Tokyo 2020 gold medallist and defending UCI World Championships winner.
In the men’s field again, expect big things from France’s powerhouse of BMX racing. UCI points leader Romain Mahieu has already documented ongoing practice sessions on the Rock Hill track where he will be looking to defend his 2023 World Championship title, and second-place points holder Joris Daudet appears to have recovered from an earlier collarbone injury and is back on his bike according to his Instagram posts.
Beyond France, Colombia enters with a strong field, including Diego Arboleda and two-time Olympic bronze medallist Carlos Ramirez.
Tokyo 2020 gold medallist Niek Kimmann from the Netherlands will also be looking to keep his World Cup momentum going following two first-place finishes in Tulsa. Australia’s Izaac Kennedy will be another threat, having chased Kimmann over the finish line with two consecutive silvers.
Americans with the home-track advantage
The Americans will be looking to take advantage of competing on their home track.
The UCI World Championships were last held at Rock Hill in 2017, with Rio 2016 silver medalist Alise Willoughby taking the win. She’s currently the third-ranked woman in the UCI rankings, having also earned third place overall in the World Cup and coming off second and third-place wins in Tulsa.
Also, be on the lookout for 2022 UCI World Championship winner Felicia Stancil to perform well under the pressure.
The U.S. men will be working to hold on to their 4th place position, with World Cup series 4th place overall finisher Kamren Larsen, Cameron Wood, and Jeremy Smith among the Americans racing to win at home.
Schedule of Elite class UCI BMX Racing World Championships in Rock Hill
Friday, 17 May
13:45: Round 1
15:00: Last Chance Qualifier
17:00: Eighth Final
Saturday, 18 May
14:00: Quarter-Finals
14:50: Semi-Finals
15:36: Finals
16:37: Medal Ceremony
How to watch the 2024 BMX Racing World Championships
The BMX World Championships in Rock Hill will air live on FloBikes.