France’s Anthony Jeanjean planning Paris party after winning second OQS BMX title

BUDAPEST - The Budapest OQS has had a carnival atmosphere, providing the perfect aperitif for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

And France’s Anthony Jeanjean cannot wait for the summer spectacular in his homeland after adding the OQS Budapest BMX Freestyle Park title to the OQS Shanghai one he won in May.

“It is going to be a great party of sport with all the Frenchies,” Jeanjean (above) said after securing his berth at Paris 2024. “I can’t wait to ride in France, at Place de la Concorde. It is not more pressure. Everyone in France wants to see the same thing, like me.”

Jeanjean put down a smooth run to victory in the final. USA’s Marcus Christopher came second, with Great Britain’s Kieran Reilly completing the podium.

Christopher said: “I think relief (is the main emotion). I was so stressed. I messed up one time but I don’t think many people knew. We got it done.”

With Paris 2024 looming, the competitors are fully focused on the task at hand.

World champion Reilly said of his plans: “Train hard, peak for the Games, be in the best physical and mental shape I can be in. I need to go home and have a nice cheat meal. I’ll get some Chinese food. I’ll have one day of eating chicken balls, then the next day I’m back in the gym.”

Gustavo Batista de Oliveira of Brazil was fourth, Justin Dowell of USA fifth, and Marin Rantes of Croatia sixth, to claim the other Paris 2024 spots on offer at the OQS.

USA dream team ride again

In the women’s event, USA secured a one-two. Five-time world champion Hannah Roberts took first place and Perris Benegas second, China’s Jiaqi Sun third. Roberts scored so high in the first run, she abandoned her second one to embrace her teammate after they secured a second Olympics together.

“I’m super pumped,” Roberts said. “When the victory lap came round, I thought, ‘I don’t want this to be all about me’. I wanted (Perris) to feel that victory too, so I ran to her and gave her the biggest hug I could. She’s come such a long way.”

Benegas knows that journey best.

“Oh man. Perris is going to Paris,” she said. “On this day last year I was on the operating table. I woke up and it was the most excruciating pain I’ve ever been in. I had no idea where I’d be a year from now.”

Deng Yawen of China (fourth), Natalya Diehm of Australia (fifth) and Switzerland's Nikita Ducarroz (sixth) secured the other three places available for Paris 2024 available from the OQS.

Diehm summed up the OQS experience neatly. “I think this is a great event,” she said. “These feel like a mini Olympics to me. I love it.”

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