European Games 2023: Britain's Kieran Reilly and Czechia's Iveta Miculycova crowned BMX park European champions in Poland 

Great Britain's Kieran Reilly and Czechia's Iveta Miculycova have won gold in the BMX Park European Championships in Poland.

Reilly's win in the men's competition represented a first for the Brit as he scored 92.33 on his second run to secure victory over France's three-time champion Anthony Jeanjean - a reverse of the standings at last year's Euros where Jeanjean won gold and Reilly silver.

Until today, no male other than Jeanjean had ever won the European Championships, the first edition of which were held in 2019. However, Reilly's high-energy final run saw him secure his place at the top of the podium just a year before the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

In an excellent day for British riders, Olympic bronze medallist Declan Brooks ended the evening in third place to add another medal to his burgeoning collection.

After his victory, Reilly spoke about how proud it made him to share the podium with his friend and teammate Brooks just over a year out from the next Olympics in Paris.

"Me and Dec are really close mates, especially over the last year. We've been travelling together at pretty much every event, rooming together and we've got a really good bond, so as much as I want to win I want him to do the absolute best he can, and he's the same," he said.

And on why the Brits are doing so well, having won a gold and bronze medal at Tokyo 2020 courtesy of Charlotte Worthington and Brooks, Reilly explained that it was all down to their willingness to graft.

"Everyone is just so hard working. From having moved down from Newcastle to ride with Charlotte and Dec, they've been amazing training partners, riding with them. They're an inspiration for me. They went to the first-ever Olympics [for BMX freestyle] and they both medalled so that's definitely my goal."

Reilly's victory came as no surprise in the end as he attacked both his first and second run with the same energy and trickery that has made him one of the most respected riders on the circuit. Still, it took something special to beat Jeanjean, whose fall on his first run gave him extra work to do to secure a place among the medal winners.

In the end, the champion fell just short of catching the Brit, scoring 90.80 with Brooks winning bronze with 87.40.

For Britain, the prospect of more medals in Paris has come closer to reality, as they seek to match or improve upon the two the nation's riders won in Tokyo.

Men's BMX park European Championships results

1. Kieran Reilly (GBR): 92.33
2. Anthony Jeanjean (FRA): 90.80
3. Declan Brooks (GBR): 87.40
4. Ernests Zebolds (LAT): 84.50
5. Marin Rantes (CRO): 83.60
6. Zoltan Kempf (HUN): 81.33
7. Tomas Beran (CZE): 75.06
8. Zoltan Ujvary (HUN): 74.06
9. Levi Weidmann (NED): 72.66
10. Jaka Remec (SLO): 70.16

Miculycova secures second European title in Poland

After her surprise win in the 2022 BMX freestyle park European Championships, Miculycova proved it was no one-off victory in the women's event, as she put in a trick-filled second run to lift the continental title for the second time in as many years.

Her impressive win, which was secured in front of an excited crowd in Poland as part of the European Games, saw her once again overcome the challenge of more experienced competitors, including Switzerand's Olympic silver medallist Nikita Ducarroz who finished fourth today and France's eventual bronze medallist Laury Perez.

Miculycova shocked the BMX world last year when she won gold at the European Championships in Munich, Germany at just 16 years old. Less than 12 months later, she looks to be in exceptional form and will surely now be installed as one of the favourites for Paris 2024.

Her score of 82.33 on her final run was over two points ahead of her nearest rival, Kim Mueller of Germany, while France's Perez repeated the third place she earned at last year's Euros with another impressive performance in Krakow.

Women's BMX park European Championships results

1. Iveta Miculyčová (CZE): 82.33
2. Kim Lea Mueller (GER): 79.66
3. Laury Perez (FRA): 77.00
4. Nikita Ducarroz (SUI): 74.00
5. Lara Maie Lessmann (GER): 74.00
6. Teresa Fernandez Miranda (ESP): 64.00
7. Katerina Jalukova (CZE): 56.66
8. Holly Louise Pipe (GBR): 55.66
9. Naomi Vojtechovska (SVK): 44.66
10. Wiktoria Maciuk (POL): 36.3