Experience shines at Oceania BMX Freestyle Championships

Brandon Loupos and Natalya Diehm have continued their late career resurgence, stepping up to win the 2024 Oceania BMX Freestyle Championships yesterday.

In total, 50 riders across 11 categories participated in this year’s Oceania Championships at the Village Indoor Skatepark south of Brisbane, including riders from almost every Australian state and territory.

Elite Women

The elite women’s field featured Australia’s leading BMX Freestyle competitors and Olympic hopefuls, Natalya Diehm and Sarah Nicki, alongside 2023 Oceania competitors Shanae Richmond and Mylee Toohey.

Diehm, fresh off winning the AusCycling National Championship last month, needed to use all her experience and composure when she faced a mechanical issue with her bike. She overcame the setback to post 92.00 in the final to set up the win.

The victory by the four-time Australian national champion and 2020 Olympian flipped the script on last year’s Oceania Championship, where Diehm ran second to Nicki. Nicki's 89.33 came up just short of a third straight continental championship for the ACT native.

“So stoked to place first today in the 2024 Oceania Championships,” Diehm told AusCycling after the podium.

“Felt like the day was against me with a lot of hurdles and a bike malfunction, but I’m stoked to come back, refocus, and do some of my best riding. Until next year!”

Elite Men

Despite world number one Logan Martin not competing and Alec Danelutti withdrawing with a rolled ankle, the elite men’s competition featured many of Australia’s top BMX Freestyle riders.

Reigning national champion Sammy Grace, 2019 world champion Brandon Loupos, and world number 17 Jaie Toohey all looked to capture the Oceania Championship that would be vacated in Martin’s absence.

It was Toohey who looked to have the strongest form through the early part of the day, qualifying in first place after the preliminary rounds.

However, Toohey was not able to put together two convincing runs in the final, only managing an 86.67. On the other hand, Grace continued to ride a wave of career-best form, showing the same aggression and attitude that saw him upset the field at RampFest last month.

After Loupos aborted his first run in the final, it looked like Grace’s 90.33 would be enough for another unlikely win, but Loupos – who turns 31 on Wednesday – stepped up under pressure, completing a spectacular second run.

After a flair drop-in, the Sydneysider sequenced together multiple transfers, a flip double tailwhip, flair combos, and a front flip flair on the buzzer to notch a score of 94.67 and seal the win.

After competition, Loupos said patience was one of the keys to victory.

“The day’s been really long. We started out here at about 9am, it’s about 8pm now, and yeah, just been grinding all day. Waiting around, waiting for our event, but we finally got in, finally got the practice done. Laid down the run I wanted to do, which I’m really happy about.

“The competition was really crazy today. We had Jaie Toohey, Samual Grace – who won the national championships in Melbourne – so coming out on top against those guys was really awesome.”

The next stop for the ARA Australian Cycling Team’s BMX Freestyle athletes is the UCI World Cup in Montpellier, France from 8-12 May, before the Olympic Qualifying Series takes place in May and June.

Complete Results

Elite Women

1. Natalya Diehm (92.00)
2. Sarah Nicki (89.33)
3. Shanae Richmond (60.00)

Elite Men

1. Brandon Loupos (94.67)
2. Sammy Grace (90.33)
3. Jaie Toohey (86.67)

Amateur Women

1. Kayla McCormick
2. Dakota Kljajic

Amateur Men

1. Roman Riches-Depiazzi
2. Mason Worthing
3. Jack Carter

U15 Men

1. Malakai Kopman
2. William Green
3. Felix Stokes

U15 Women

1. Alirah Norris
2. Evie Simpson

U13 Boys

1. Emilio Martin
2. Spencer Smith
3. Micah Elphick

U11 Boys

1. Rafael Manning
2. Slater Lyttle
3. Tex Sawyer

U11 Girls

1. Hunter Mackellar
2. Chloe Fechner

U7 Girls

1. Georgie Lenton
2. Keala Bates

U7 Boys

1. Zac Richards

Images: Jack Cunningham/Demolition.TV