| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 15 August 1991 Bedford Park, Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) [1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 87 kg (192 lb) [1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current team | Redline Bicycles | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Discipline | BMX (bicycle motocross) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Rider | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Sam Willoughby (born 15 August 1991 in Bedford Park, South Australia) is an Australian former BMX racing cyclist. He won an Olympic silver medal in 2012. He suffered a career-ending injury in 2016 and has since worked on his own rehabilitation, and as his wife's coach.
Willoughby, also known as 'the BMX bandit', left his Adelaide home at age 16 with a backpack, a meagre bank account balance and his BMX bike for California. He stayed at the home of fellow cyclists until he earned enough money from racing to afford a room in a motel. He won the junior BMX title in 2008 and again in 2009. Willoughby advanced into the senior ranks within two years of his arrival. Willoughby supports educating children about bicycle education through the Happiness Cycle.[ citation needed ]
He won his first senior BMX world championship in May 2012, which advanced his ranking to the number one spot in the world. He competed in the men's BMX at the 2012 Summer Olympics, winning a silver medal. [2] [3]
In 2012, he won the Australian Institute of Sport Junior Athlete of the Year Award. [4]
Willoughby became engaged to American BMX rider Alise Post in 2015.
In the men's BMX at the 2016 Summer Olympics, Willoughby won his semi-final, but finished sixth in the final. [5]
On 10 September 2016, Willoughby was declared a tetraplegic after a training run crash at Chula Vista BMX track.
29 March 2018 he rode his BMX bike first time after his crash, still unable to walk.[ citation needed ]
In January 2019, Willoughby and Post married. Willoughby stood up on his own legs (with braces) to dance with his new wife.
As of 2021, Sam and Alise Willoughby live in Chula Vista, California; and Sam is his wife's coach. [6]
Alise Rose Willoughby is an American professional "Current School" BMX racing racer who has been racing competitively since 2002. She uses the moniker "The Beast".
Caroline Buchanan is an Australian cyclist who has won multiple world championships in BMX racing and mountain biking. She represented Australia at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics in the women's BMX event.
Edžus Treimanis is a former Latvian BMX racer. He has qualified for and competed in both the 2012 Summer Olympics in London and the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Treimanis has won several Latvian Champion titles. He won the silver medal at the 2011 and 2013 European Championships.
David Nicholas, is an Australian cyclist. He won silver and gold medals at the 2012 London Paralympics and a gold medal at the 2016 Rio Paralympics and a bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.
Connor Evan Fields is an American professional BMX racer. He represented the United States at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the men's BMX event and finished 7th overall. He represented the United States again at the 2016 Summer Olympics in the men's BMX event. He won the gold medal in Rio de Janeiro, and became the first American to win an Olympic BMX gold.
Nicholas James Long is an American racing cyclist who represents the United States in BMX.
Tory Nyhaug is a retired Canadian racing cyclist who represented Canada in BMX. He represented Canada at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics in the men's BMX event. He won a silver medal at the World Championships in 2014 and a gold medal at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto.
Twan van Gendt is a Dutch racing cyclist who represents the Netherlands in BMX. He was selected to represent the Netherlands at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the men's BMX event, where he placed 5th in the final. In June 2015, he competed in the European Games|inaugural European Games, for the Netherlands in cycling, more specifically, Men's BMX. He earned a silver medal.
Jelle van Gorkom is a Dutch racing cyclist and Olympic silver medalist who represents the Netherlands in BMX racing. He was selected to represent the Netherlands at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London in the men's BMX event, and went on to win the silver medal in the same event four years later at the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
Khalen Young is an Australian racing cyclist who represents Australia in BMX. He competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the men's BMX event, reaching the semi-final.
Sam McIntosh is an Australian Paralympic athlete who races in the T52 100m, 200m, and 400m events. He holds 3 Australian National Records and 2 Oceania Records. He represented Australia at the 2012 London Paralympic Games, 2016 Rio Paralympics and 2020 Tokyo Paralympics in athletics as well as the 2011, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2023 Para Athletic World Championships. He has been selected for the 2024 Paris Paralympics - his fourth Games.
The cycling competitions of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo featured 22 events in five disciplines. The 2020 Olympics were postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Scott Erwood is a Canadian professional BMX cyclist. Having started BMX racing since the age of twelve, Erwood has claimed two Canadian national tournament titles each in both junior and elite categories, and has mounted a top-eight finish at the 2007 UCI World Championships in his home turf Victoria, British Columbia. While riding for numerous seasons on the Crupi World Factory Team, Erwood also represented his nation Canada at the 2008 Summer Olympics, following a race-off with his formidable rival Jim Brown from an Olympic selection camp in Chula Vista, California that nearly missed his lifetime opportunity to earn the ticket.
Alistair Donohoe is an Australian cyclist, who currently rides for Australian club team Blackburn CC. Following a right arm impairment in 2009, Donohoe became a multiple medallist at the UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships and UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships. He won two silver medals at the 2016 Summer Paralympics and a silver and bronze medal at the 2020 Summer Paralympics. He has been selected for the 2024 Paris Paralympics.
Kyle Evans is a British BMX rider from Hindley, Greater Manchester, who represents Great Britain in international competitions. He competed in the men's time trial event at the 2015 UCI BMX World Championships.
Madison Janssen is an Australian cyclist. She is a world champion, multiple national champion and a world record holder. In May 2016 she was named as part of the Australian cycling team as the sighted pilot for Jessica Gallagher for the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio, where they won a bronze medal in the Women's 1000m time trial.
Anthony Dean is an Australian BMX cyclist. He qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics & The 2020 Tokyo Olympics and competed in the men's BMX Racing.
Kyle Dodd is a South African BMX cyclist. He competed in the men's BMX at the 2016 Summer Olympics. He finished 6th in his heat during the quarterfinals and did not advance to the semifinals.
The women's BMX racing competition at the 2020 Summer Olympics took place on 29 and 30 July 2021 at the Ariake Urban Sports Park. 24 cyclists from 17 nations competed in the event.
Zoe Claessens is a Swiss BMX racing cyclist.
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