Worthington takes gold and Brooks bronze in stellar BMX freestyle for GB at Tokyo Olympics

Charlotte Worthington pulled off a trick that hadn't been completed so far in the women's competition in order to claim gold

Charlotte Worthington
(Image credit: Getty)

Just as in the BMX racing, Great Britain was amongst the medals once again in the freestyle competition as Charlotte Worthington won gold and Declan Brooks took bronze at the Tokyo Olympics.

Despite a fall on her first run, Worthington scored 97.50 on her second, pulling off a 360 backflip over the central box on the course - a trick that had never before been completed in the women's competition. 

Worthington was faced with a nervous wait after her sensational run, as the pre-competition favourite, Australian Hannah Roberts, was still to come. The 19-year-old made a mistake in her last attempt, however, slipping off the pedals on a double tailwhip, meaning she had to settle for silver.

“I said to my coach on the way out, ‘Let’s just go out there and have some fun, be relaxed',” Worthington said. “I just tried to take it one trick at a time.

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“It was tough to get back up there after falling on my first run. You start to think, ‘Oh, what if this isn’t it? What if I’ve not got it?’ But you’ve got to just keep telling yourself that you do have it.”

The men's competition stuck more tightly to the script, as top-seed Logan Martin achieved a score of 93.30 on his first run that would already set him up with an imperious lead, landing tricks such as a triple opposite tailwhip, 720 barspin and a flair opposite downside tailwhip. 

Brit Declan Brooks scored high enough to slot into the silver medal position with five riders left to go but was usurped by Venezuelan Daniel Dhers, who jumped from fourth to second and bumped Brooks down to Bronze.

"Coming into this event I was never a favourite to win the event," Brooks said. "So for me it was just to get a medal. So I'm super pumped to have delivered on that."

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Hi. I'm Cycling Weekly's Weekend Editor. I like writing offbeat features and eating too much bread when working out on the road at bike races.


Before joining Cycling Weekly I worked at The Tab and I've also written for Vice, Time Out, and worked freelance for The Telegraph (I know, but I needed the money at the time so let me live).


I also worked for ITV Cycling between 2011-2018 on their Tour de France and Vuelta a España coverage. Sometimes I'd be helping the producers make the programme and other times I'd be getting the lunches. Just in case you were wondering - Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen had the same ham sandwich every day, it was great.