The BMX racer who was knocked off his bike by an official made a remarkable comeback to win gold in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Dutchman Niek Kimmann hit the headlines earlier this week after he was involved in an crash with an Olympic worker during a practice session on the BMX track at the Ariake Urban Sports Park in Tokyo.
Kimmann, 25, feared the premature end to his games after the fall, as he suffered an injured knee in the incident, ahead of the qualifying rounds on Thursday (July 29).
But after consulting with doctors and undergoing an MRI scan, Kimmann was able to compete in the quarter-finals to make it through to the final day of racing on Friday, where he dominated the qualifying rounds.
After winning all three of his runs in the semi-finals, Kimmann went into the gold medal final as the hot favourite, and he delivered on the expectation to take a thrilling gold medal ahead of Britain’s Kye Whyte in second.
Speaking after his result, Kimmann said: “This week has been an emotional roller-coaster. After I hit the official (on Monday) I thought my dream was over basically, but after speaking with the doctors and getting an MRI scan, we realised it would be possible to race. It wouldn’t be comfortable, but it would be possible. So I skipped the last three track sessions just to give my knee the best chance possible. Yesterday was just all about surviving and making it through to today.
“I was mentally prepared that today was going to be really, really tough. On this level, even if you’re physically in the best shape ever, it’s still tough. But knowing how my knee felt, I was just mentally prepared to struggle.
“The last Olympic cycle has been a roller-coaster, but the last four days were a story itself.”
He added: “I think we all know that there are risks to our sport, but at the end of the day we just love our sport so much. When we have an injury the first thing we think about is when can we get back on the track. There are risks to any sport, but the biggest thing is the passion that we have. It’s just so much fun to go fast and jump and race other riders.”
The BMX finals were a thrilling continuation of the cycling events in the Tokyo 2020 Games, as Kimmann took gold in the men’s event, while Whyte became the first ever British medallist in Olympic BMX racing.
>>> Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games cycling schedule: when to watch the racing
In the women’s event, Team GB’s Bethany Shriever made history again by taking the gold medal, dominating the field and beating multiple Olympic champion Mariana Pajon.
