Logan Martin and Sarah Nicki repeat as Oceania Champions

Sarah Nicki and Logan Martin have claimed back-to-back Oceania BMX Freestyle Championships, defending their 2022 titles at The Village skate park in Brisbane yesterday.

High-quality riding and a compact indoor venue set the stage for an entertaining event.

In his first competitive outing since winning the opening round of the UCI World Cup last month, Martin topped yet another podium (92.33), ahead of Jaie Toohey (86.67) and Alec Danelutti (83.00).

With significant UCI points on offer, the 2020 Olympic gold medallist said it was a relief to get the season off to a strong start.

“The year started off good with a win in Saudi Arabia as well at the first stop of the World Cup, and it's good to get a few more points for Australia,” Martin said.

The Queenslander was also pleased to be able to execute his plan for yesterday’s run, while acknowledging the quality of Australia’s emerging and established riders at the event.

“There is definitely a lot of up-and-coming young talent. Keegan Pryor is obviously one of them, stepping up into the pro division now, and he rode amazing yesterday, which was pretty awesome to see,” Martin said.

“Josh Matthews has been competing for a little while now, but he's been doing really well too. So, BMX is in a healthy spot right now. There's a lot of talent, and especially in Australia.”

Pryor was unlucky to miss out on a medal, with the 15-year-old posting a score of 82.00 at his home park. Matthews also chased big tricks and threatened the podium, only to crash on his second run and finish fifth.

In the women’s competition, 15-year-old Sarah Nicki continues to improve as an Elite rider, combining tricks and putting together complete runs on her way to posting a winning score of 84.00.

After being sidelined with injury since Tokyo 2020, Natalya Diehm continues to work her way back to full fitness and focused mainly on flow, height, and single tricks, but still did enough to secure a silver medal with a score of 79.33.

Young guns Anais Prince, Mylee Toohey, and Shanae Richmond continue to raise the bar and posted competitive scores, indicating nothing should be taken for granted going into the National Championships this weekend.

Men’s Podium:

1. Logan Martin (92.33)
2. Jaie Toohey (86.67)
3. Alec Danelutti (83.00)

Women’s Podium:

1. Sarah Nicki (84.00)
2. Natalya Diehm (79.33)
3. Anais Prince (70.00)

Full results available here.

Main Photo: Jaie Toohey/Josh Matthews