→←News→Logan Martin all but secures Olympic return with silver in Shanghai Olympic Qualifier Series
Logan Martin all but secures Olympic return with silver in Shanghai Olympic Qualifier Series
May 18, 2024
Logan Martin has one foot on the plane to the Paris 2024 Olympics and a defence of his Tokyo 2020 gold medal following a strong performance at the opening round of the Olympic Qualifier Series (OQS) in Shanghai this weekend.
Riding in the last heat in the men’s final, Martin looked to be on his way to be posting a big score in his first run, only to fall with a few seconds remaining, placing significant pressure on the 30-year-old’s second run.
Like so many times before however, Martin executed under pressure, completing a sensational second run that featured a quad tail whip, tuck no-handed front flip, and a 900, to put up a score of 92.65, ultimately good enough for second place.
Speaking after the event, Martin said he focused on cleaning up his landings after his first run in the final.
“I started off the (first) run with a with a couple of average landings, and I missed a transition a little bit, so by halfway through my run I was pretty gassed, I was a bit tired, and then I slipped up on one of my tricks and slid out,” Martin said.
“And then going into that second run, I knew I needed to clean up those first few landings so I could continue the run smoothly and finish off that run.
“I'm excited to get these qualifying events done and to do my best to qualify for Paris. I'd love to go to another Olympics and do my best to back up my performance in Tokyo and give myself a good shot at winning another gold medal.”
In warm conditions, five Australian riders fronted up at Shanghai Urban Park for Friday’s qualifying. Sarah Nicki was the first Aussie on course, and the 17-year-old rode with her trademark energy and speed. However, with both runs counting towards a rider’s final score, a fall on the final trick of her first run proved costly, and Nicki ultimately finished in 17th place out of 24 riders.
Natalya Diehm meanwhile looked increasingly confident as her riding progressed, and the 26-year-old put together two clean runs to qualify for the top-12 final in 8th position, posting an average score of 70.71.
On the men’s side, Logan Martin qualified in 3rd position for the finals with two smooth, technically perfect runs, but Australia was perhaps unlucky to not have more riders progress to the final.
Alec Danelutti laid down two eye-catching runs only to fall deep into the run on both occasions and finish 19th, while Jaie Toohey just missed the finals in 14th place, despite putting together two strong runs that featured his signature forward bike flip.
The scoring format shifted to the best score from two runs for the finals on Saturday, and Diehm was an early front-runner, posting a score of 81.24 with her first run that included an impressive backflip, flair, and down-whip.
However, with the likes Hannah Roberts (USA) and Sibei Sun (CHN) still to ride, it was always going to be tough for Diehm to stay at the top of the leaderboard, and she ultimately slid to 9th overall by the end of the event.
Nonetheless, the Queenslander told AusCycling she was buoyant about her chances to qualify for Paris at the conclusion of the first OQS leg.
“I felt really good all week, came in very confident today into the finals, put down a solid first run and then wanting to up it in my second and unfortunately fell off halfway through,” Diehm said.
“But yeah, regardless, I’m really, really happy. I'm looking forward to the next one to qualify my position into the Paris 2024 Olympics.”
Riders earn up to 50 points at each OQS event, with the top six riders on the most points after the two rounds booking their ticket to Paris.
Martin will take 45 out of a possible 50 points from the event, while Toohey scores 27 points and Danelutti 22 points. Diehm meanwhile takes 32 points for 9th place and Nicki 24 points for 17th.
The remaining BMX freestyle riders of the ARA Australian Cycling Team now face an anxious wait until the second leg of the OQS in Budapest, Hungary from June 20–23
Riders that don’t qualify through the OQS may still earn a quota spot based on results from the 2022 UCI Urban Cycling World Championships and the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships.
Main Image: UCI BMX Freestyle