BMX freestyle rider Anthony Jeanjean invites all to "Frenchie party" at Paris 2024 after sweeping Olympic Qualifier Series events
Six riders secured Paris 2024 quotas based on their combined results from the Olympic Qualifier Series in Shanghai and Budapest: France's Anthony Jeanjean, Great Britain's Kieran Reilly, USA's Marcus Christopher and Justin Dowell, Brazil's Gustavo Batista de Oliveira, and Croatia's Marin Rantes.
Cycling BMX Freestyle
Anthony Jeanjean did not need a trophy to start a party.
Pumping his fist in his signature red gloves, the French BMX freestyle phenom was in celebration mode long before the announcer read out the score – 93.40 points, a winning number in the men’s BMX Freestyle Park competition at the Olympic Qualifier Series (OQS) in Budapest and the official confirmation that Jeanjean would be going on to contest for an Olympic medal at his home Games.
"I think it's (going to be) a great party of sport, with all the fans, all the Frenchies. Can't wait to ride in France, Place de la Concorde with all the French guys. It's crazy," Jeanjean said while balancing a large OQS trophy in one hand and a golden ticket to Paris 2024 in the other.
"It's not more pressure. I think everyone in France wants to see the same thing like me. I want to take the pressure and be a little bit stronger for that, to live a big party with all the Frenchies. It's going to be a big party."
The Frenchman also won the first stage of the Olympic Qualifier Series in Shanghai a month before and collected the maximum -- a perfect 100 points -- across his two OQS appearances.
Perhaps the secret of his success is in the taurus necklace Jeanjean wears for competitions – a nod to his astrological sign and the mascot of his home city, Beziers.
Known for their discipline, capacity for hard work and mental tenacity, the French BMX rider exemplified all the traits of his astrological sign in Budapest. Third in qualifying, he soared to the top of the standings after his first run in Budapest, throwing down a series of complex tricks that no riders could match.
"I'm super happy to win the first one in Shanghai, the second one in Budapest and I have the official tickets to Paris," Jeanjean said. "It's crazy. I'm feeling amazing."
The world governing body for cycling (UCI) confirmed that Jeanjean, Great Britain's Kieran Reilly, USA's Marcus Christopher and Justin Dowell, Brazil's Gustavo Batista de Oliveira, and Croatia's Marin Rantes obtained quota spots for Paris.
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.
Click here to see the official qualification system for each sport.
Marcus Christopher and Kieran Reilly rule battle of the teammates
Top qualifier Marcus Christopher was equally elated after finishing second to Jeanjean with 92.98 points. The USA rider went all out on his first run and was glad he did when his second was delayed as raindrops started to fall on the course.
"That's always my goal. I always try to just land my first run. Sometimes it doesn't work out, but we got it done," he said. "I really wasn't too nervous because since I went last, I knew I was getting second place no matter what. I was ready to just go in the rain, I was tired of waiting. I was just like, let's get it over with."
Finishing high up was crucial for Christopher who needed not only to finish with top points, but also overtake his two teammates Justin Dowell and Nick Bruce to have a chance of going to Paris 2024. All three made the final in Shanghai where Christopher finished lowest among the USA riders after crashing in his runs.
Having accomplished a podium in Budapest, the main emotion Christopher was feeling was relief.
"I was so stressed out leading up to all these events," he said. "Qualifying, especially after coming off in 11th place and crashing in Shanghai, getting second here, it's amazing."
Great Britain’s Kieran Reilly also had to battle not only other BMX riders but also his two teammates for the Paris 2024 quota. As in Shanghai, the world champion finished third in the rankings thanks to a last minute surge.
Seventh going into the second run, Reilly landed a double flair in the last five seconds of his second run to jump to third place.
Mission accomplished.
OQS Budapest BMX Freestyle Park men's final - Results
- Anthony Jeanjean (FRA) – 93.40
- Marcus Christopher (USA) – 92.98
- Kieran Reilly (GBR) – 92.05
- Gustavo Batista de Oliveira (BRA) – 91.90
- Justin Dowell (USA) – 90.82
- Marin Rantes (CRO) – 90.80
- Jose Torres Gil (ARG) – 90.62
- Nakamura Rimu (JPN) – 89.00
- Dylan Hessey (GBR) - 86.10
- Jude Jones (GBR) – 85.10
- Zoltan Kempf (HUN) – 78.60
- Ernests Zebolds (LAT) – 56.40
How to watch all the Olympic Qualifier Series action from Budapest
The action from Budapest will be streamed live, for free, and without subscription to a worldwide audience on Olympic Channel via Olympics.com and the official Olympics app for Paris 2024.
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