Logan Martin and Sarah Nicki prove their mettle at 2023 AusCycling BMX Freestyle Nationals

Threatening weather added an element of drama to the AusCycling BMX Freestyle National Championship on the Gold Coast, but it wasn’t enough to stop pre-competition favourites Logan Martin and Sarah Nicki from securing the 2023 green and gold jerseys.

With inclement weather looming, competition organisers brought the Elite categories forward to get the event away before the rain arrived.

The Elite women’s final was held without incident, and Sarah Nicki was able to put together a clean, exciting run to win her second consecutive national title.

“I’ve been working really hard on doing my bar spins, and I was very stoked to be able to do two in my run. Doing some tough no-handers, completely letting go of the bike. And did a big can-can over the box. There’s lots of tricks in there, so I was really happy with my run,” Nicki, 16, said.

“I was a bit nervous coming in, but I’m feeling really good, and I’m proud of all the other girls. They did amazing. Very tough competition.”

The podium reflected last week’s Oceania Championships, with 2020 Olympian Natalya Deihm taking out second spot and Anais Price third.

In encouraging signs for the sport, the number of females competing in Amateur and Junior categories at this year’s event doubled the number of participants at the 2022 National Championship.

In the men’s competition, seven of the eight finalists completed their first run before light rain came across the Gold Coast Sports Precinct, with world number 2 Logan Martin the only competitor yet to ride.

After an anxious 15-minute wait, the rain subsided enough for Martin to drop into his first run, and the 2020 Olympic gold medallist again proved why he is one of the best riders in the world, putting aside any uncertainty or distraction to secure first place.

“It would have been a little bit unfair on myself if I dropped in today, a little bit slippery, a little bit of rain. So, I chose to wait around a little bit, probably about 15 minutes until it cleared up, and then I did my run,” Martin said.

“It was a bit hard to get back into it, but my thought process was that it was going to happen. I just had to wait around a little bit longer, and I managed to pull my run; not pull it the way that I planned it, but I managed to pull it good enough to win the event.”

Martin revealed his strong performance in practice meant he was mentally ready to go after the delay, and felt he also owed it to his fellow competitors to at least complete the first run.

“There was definitely some good riding on the other guy’s behalf. Some big runs went down, and it definitely put the pressure on me. So, obviously I knew I needed to pull my run, and pull it clean and smooth.

“If I had of called it and sat out – I had qualified first and would have won the event – but I didn’t really want to go out like that, being the only rider that didn’t drop in, so I’m happy that I got in there and gave it a go.”

Jaie Toohey threw down an almost flawless run to take home the silver medal, while Sam Gibson secured the bronze after qualifying in sixth position.

Josh Matthews can count himself unlucky, putting together a stellar ride in his second run, only to crash attempting a difficult double flare and finishing in fourth.

See the full results here.

Attention now turns to the 2023 international season, with UCI World Cup rounds in Montpellier and Belgium in May and July respectively, followed by the UCI World Championships in Glasgow in August.

2023 AusCycling BMX Freestyle National Championship

• Location: Gold Coast, Queensland
• Dates: Friday, 24 March – Saturday, 25 March 2023
• Venue: AusCycling National BMX Freestyle Park, 296 Nerang Broadbeach Rd, Carrara
• Time: 8am-9pm on Friday, and 8am-5pm on Saturday.

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More information on the AusCycling BMX Freestyle National Championship, including the event schedule, is available here.

Photos: Sam Herbert Media