BMX Freestyle king Logan Martin: "I may be 30, but I feel like I'm at my peak"
The line between work and play is blurry for BMX Freestyle athlete Logan Martin, and that is exactly why he's been on top for so long.
To date, the Australian’s unrivalled resume reads: inaugural Olympic champion, two-time world champion, and winner of five X Games titles.
Despite the fact that he has won everything the sport has to offer, Martin is more motivated than ever heading into his Olympic title defence at Paris 2024.
“I enjoy winning. It's obviously a good feeling, but I enjoy working hard each day with the main goal in mind of winning the contest. And that's what keeps driving me,” Logan told Olympics.com at the Olympic Qualifier Series in Shanghai.
“It’s one of those sports that for me, is a hobby and a career. I literally do it all the time.”
But Martin’s brilliance and longevity at the top is based around more than emotions.
He realised very quickly that in order to stay the best, you have to adapt.
In BMX Freestyle, that means thinking creatively, and doing things in his runs that have never been done before.
“The sport has grown tremendously year after year, and the progression of it just keeps rising. Not just the progression of the riding, but also the support for the sport has definitely boosted post Olympics,” Martin continued.
“In order to stay at the top, you’ve got to be adaptable, understand which way the sport is going and how you can keep up with the level of the sport. You have five or six dudes at the top and competing and you see where the level is growing there and you try and evolve with those guys as well.
“I think you have to be creative and have new ideas. Most of the tricks have been done, so it's more about putting new combinations together back to back, inside 60 seconds. You also work on your smooth landings, high speed and all those sorts of things which all play a big factor.”
While France's Anthony Jeanjean will be quietly confident of his chances of Olympic victory on home soil having won the Olympic Qualifier Series this year, Martin has some tricks up his sleeve that he believes will turn the tide in his favour.
Why creativity will be key at Paris 2024
Evolving and adapting isn't limited to what happens during competition.
Despite still having a deep passion and motivation for competition, Martin, 30, is mature enough to realise that his body cannot absorb the same punishment it took in the early part of his career.
“Coming into my 30s, I understand can’t train every single day, as I understand my body a lot more,” he admitted.
But rivals beware, the Olympic champion has found other ways to improve and is confident that he is currently at the pinnacle of his powers.
“But I feel like I'm at my peak, which I say that every year. But each year it goes on I'm still very strong, still very confident in my ability to win events and, I'm now 30 and not much has changed. I feel stronger than ever and my skill level has increased over the years as well.”
Another factor behind Martin’s brilliance is emphasis on mental strength.
BMX Freestyle is not for the faint-hearted and bad injuries can happen.
But Martin controls the narrative inside his own head in this respect. Instead of thinking ‘what could go wrong?’ he focuses on a more positive mindset that can unlock his potential, even if there is a risk.
“I think obviously over time you understand that the sport is quite dangerous. But once you become comfortable with knowing that things could potentially go wrong you can push past that. You try not to think about what could go wrong, but instead you think about what could go right. Be aware of what could go wrong on the course but focus on what you want to achieve. That's how I look at the event.
“A big part of why I started gym work was mental. To create that strong mindset you realise that being in the gym helps prevent injuries as well as building strength. Your body can withstand the punishment of riding a bike and doing tricks and slams especially, so that helps in multiple ways.”
Why Logan Martin built a BMX Park in his back yard
Continuity is key for Martin, and not much has changed for him this Olympic cycle. And with such a good set up, why would it?
In the run up to Tokyo 2020, the relatively new father decided to build a BMX training facility in his back yard.
His reasons were twofold. Firstly, with no facility where he lived in Gold Coast, he didn’t want to have to uproot his family in order to train. Secondly, with his profession also being his favourite pastime, the chance to spend even more time on two wheels just was too good to pass up.
The move proved to be a masterstroke. Soon after building the facility, the Covid pandemic hit. While many athletes would be unable to access their training facilities, there was to be no training disruption for Martin, who went on to win Olympic gold in 2021.
*“*When BMX Freestyle became an Olympic sport, I saw the level evolve rapidly,” he said.
“I didn’t want to move, so I bought a property with enough space to be able to build a park in 2019, one year before the Olympics.
“It was a total blessing that after 18 months of no travelling with Covid, as I was able to still ride at a high level everyday right in my backyard while my boy was one and a half, which was pretty epic.”
Having the park in such close vicinity to the house not only allows Martin to spend more time with his kids, but also to include them in his sport - again, fusing all of his favourite things in life.
He also believes that BMX Freestyle teaches some valuable life lessons, and by letting them see him at work every day, that they will better understand what it takes to be great.
“I want to show my kids that if you put your mind to something and you work at it, you can achieve what you want to achieve. That’s important to me. My life is all about consistency. And if you want to achieve something great, you have to be consistent day in, day out.”