Natalya Diehm flies in OQS Budapest qualifying, Logan Martin a shock non-qualifier for final

It was a bittersweet opening day for the ARA Australian Cycling Team at the Olympic Qualifier Series in Budapest, with Olympic champion Logan Martin failing to qualify for the final, while Natalya Diehm finished fifth in qualifying to keep her Paris destiny in her own hands ahead of the Saturday final.

Martin fell attempting the same trick – a 270-whip – on both runs, and with a rider’s ranking determined by the average score from both runs, the two falls relegated the 2020 Olympic gold medallist to 17th place overall, well outside a top-12 finish needed to qualify for the final.

Martin is now forced to wait on an expected continental quota to earn a place at Paris.

The 30-year-old revealed late last night that his preparation had been less than ideal coming into the event.

“I didn't have the best lead into to Budapest. I had a bit of an injury that I was nursing. I [was] looking ahead to Paris more so than being ready for this one. So, I didn't have a very good lead in the last three weeks that I was home,” Martin said.

“But by the time I got here, I was feeling okay, enough for what I thought I would be able to pull some decent runs, but I wasn’t able to get out of semi-finals unfortunately.

“That was my favourite part of my run. It felt good in practice but I came unstuck on that 270-whip both times. It just wasn't popping back enough and I was missing the transition. It's tough. It sucks.”

Australia’s day in Budapest was further dented by falls from Martin’s teammates Alec Danelutti and Jaie Toohey.

Danelutti pieced together a fantastic first run only to fall on the final trick. He recovered to post the fifth-highest score of the second round, but the earlier mistake left him in 16th position overall and outside qualification.

Toohey’s hopes were dashed just moments into his first run with a big crash while attempting to land a superman backflip. A huge second run loomed, but another crash on the final trick left the Queenslander in 21st overall.

In the women’s competition, Diehm maintained her composure after slipping her pedals in her first run to post a solid score of 71.29, but the 2020 Olympian exploded on her second run, posting the highest score of the day with an 88.30.

Sarah Nicki was unlucky not to qualify for the final, putting together two technically strong runs laced with tricks, but her final average score of 68.79 placed her in 13th overall, just one place outside of the final.

The Olympic Qualification Series wraps up tonight, with the women’s final commencing at 7:30pm (AEST) followed by the men’s final at 10:00pm.

Olympic Qualifier Series – Budapest schedule

Olympic Qualifier Series – Budapest broadcast

Main Image: UCI