| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
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| Born | 31 July 2003 [1] Auckland, New Zealand [1] | ||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||
| Discipline | BMX racing | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Rico Bearman (born 31 July 2003) [1] is a BMX racer from New Zealand. The U23 World Cup winner in 2023, and New Zealand senior national champion in 2024, he was selected for the 2024 Summer Olympics.
He won the bronze medal in the U23 category at the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland. [2]
That year, he won the under-23 2023 UCI BMX Racing World Cup title in Santiago, Chile in October 2023. [3] In doing so, he won six of the nine events in the World Cup programme. [4]
He made the step-up to senior racing in 2024. [5] He clinched victory in the men’s elite class at the 2024 New Zealand national championships in Havelock North in March 2024. [6] He was selected for the senior New Zealand team for the UCI BMX World Championships in Rock Hill, South Carolina. [7] After placing sixth in the final of the World Championships, he was subsequently named in the New Zealand team for the 2024 Summer Olympics in July 2024. [8]
He is from North Harbour in New Zealand. [9]
Jamie Alan Staff MBE is an English racing cyclist and coach, formerly on BMX and later on the track. A World and Olympic champion, he has also won numerous other medals at World Championships, World Cups and at the Commonwealth Games.
Linda Melanie Villumsen Serup is a Danish-born road racing cyclist, who last rode for UCI Women's Team Team Virtu Cycling. Villumsen became a New Zealand citizen in 2009 and has ridden under a Kiwi licence from 2010.
Samuel Ryan Bewley is an amateur podcast host and former professional racing cyclist from New Zealand who last rode for UCI WorldTeam Team BikeExchange–Jayco. He also competed for UCI ProTeam Team RadioShack and BikeNZ PureBlack Racing. He competed in nine Grand Tours, including five starts at the Vuelta a España and three starts at the Giro d'Italia. Bewley made his sole Tour de France appearance in the 2020 edition, before retiring from professional cycling at the end of 2022.
Sarah Louise Walker is a New Zealand BMX racer. A competitor at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics, she won silver in the Women's BMX at the latter event. Missing out on selection for the 2016 Summer Olympics due to injury, she was elected onto the IOC Athletes' Commission during those Games. In 2022, she was elected as its second vice-chair.
Anton Cooper is a New Zealand cross-country cyclist who races for the Trek Factory Racing XC Team. He is the 2015 World Under 23 Cross-country Mountain bike champion and the 2012 World Junior Cross-country Mountain bike champion. One of the two contenders for the country's 2016 Summer Olympics quota spot, he developed chronic fatigue earlier in 2016 and the nomination went to Sam Gaze instead. Cooper represented New Zealand at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, finishing sixth in the Men's Cross-country Mountain Bike final.
Samuel William Gaze is a New Zealand cross-country and road cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam Alpecin–Deceuninck. He won the under-23 Cross-Country at the 2016 UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships and the 2017 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships. He also competes on occasion in road racing events, winning the National Criterium Championships in 2017 and 2018.
James Oram is a New Zealand former cyclist, who competed as a professional from 2012 to 2023. His career took him from the American development team Bontrager–Livestrong, to British UCI continental team ONE Pro Cycling, before a year with Chinese Mitchelton–BikeExchange and finally riding for New Zealand Bolton Equities Black Spoke. He achieved one professional win in his career, the national road race championship in 2023.
Bryony Botha is a New Zealand road and track cyclist. On the 7th of August 2024 she won a silver medal in the team pursuit during the 2024 summer Olympic Games with Ally Wollaston, Emily Shearman and Nicole Shields.
Ellesse Andrews is a New Zealand racing cyclist. She represented New Zealand at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and the 2020 Summer Olympics, where she gained a silver medal in the keirin. At the 2024 Summer Olympics, she earned two gold medals for winning the keirin and sprint, as well as a silver medal in the team sprint.
Saya Sakakibara is an Australian cyclist competing in BMX racing events.
Corbin Strong is a New Zealand road and track cyclist, who currently rides for UCI ProTeam Israel–Premier Tech. He won the points race and finished second in the team pursuit at the 2020 UCI Track Cycling World Championships.
Ally Wollaston is a New Zealand professional track racing cyclist and road cyclist riding for AG Insurance–Soudal–Quick-Step. She was a double-medallist at the 2024 Paris Olympics and is the first New Zealand rider to win two titles at the same track World Championships.
Bethany Kate Shriever is a British cyclist, competing as a BMX racer. A World Junior champion in 2017, and winner of the UCI BMX Supercross World Cup final event in Zolder in 2018, in 2021 Shriever won both the Olympic and World titles, equalling the feat of Colombian Mariana Pajón, who won Olympic silver.
Merel Smulders is a Dutch BMX racing rider.
Rebecca Petch is a New Zealand cyclist who competes in BMX Racing and track cycling. She competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics, in Women's BMX race. She was a silver medalist in the track in the team sprint at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Laurence Pithie is a New Zealand professional racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam Groupama–FDJ.
Leila Walker is a BMX racer from New Zealand. She became New Zealand national champion in 2024 and was selected for the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Manon Veenstra is a Dutch BMX racer. She finished second at the 2024 UCI BMX Racing World Cup and won silver at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Nadine Aeberhard is a Swiss BMX racer. She was a bronze medalist at the 2024 European BMX Championships and selected for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Keegan Hornblow is a New Zealand track cyclist. He competed in the team pursuit at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
