The heartbreak continued through the semis and the finals at Rio.

Semi finals

Australia’s Caroline Buchanan was the biggest victim of the semi finals. Currently leading the world cup series and having finished second at the world championships this year Caroline was a serious medal contender. A bobble in the second run of the semi looked a little shaky for Caroline but she settled it down and pulled it together to finish in fourth. It was her final run however that ended her charge for gold. Nerves started to show with average start for Caroline, when she launched the first double everything looked good until a hard landing saw her handlebars slip forward a couple of inches. Chicago style may look good amongst the homies, but on a race track it makes the bike very difficult to control the bike, which is what Caroline had found through the remainder of the straight until she clipped a wheel in the first corner and fell.

In the Men’s semis it was USA’s Corben Sharrah who finished on good enough points to make the final cut but was beaten out by fellow country man Nic Long who rode the ride of his life in the last run finishing in second to scrape through to the finals. New Zealand’s Trent Jones started off his semis campaign with a nice third place, but it went down hill for him with a miss hap in the second run and he couldn’t come back in the third.

Women’s

Heat 1

Heat 2

Men’s

Heat 1

Heat 2

Finals

The women’s finals almost went down as if to script, the absence of Buchanan was noted, but down the first straight it was Post and Pajon, unfortunately for post though she couldn’t get in front before the corner being on the outside of Pajon she had to drift wide allowing Pajon to take a good lead, which was how they would ride to the line. Valentino came up short on the last jump in the first straight and went down heavily.  Hernandez was battling for the bronze with 2012 Bronze Medalist Smulders until Smulders washed out and went down in the last corner.

The Australian pair of Willoughby and Dean went into the final as favourites dominating the earlier rounds. But the nature of BMX once again struck when neither of them got the best of starts and team USA’s Fields and Long got the jump on the field. Willoughby was forced to take the first corner too tight and couldn’t keep the momentum up through the second straight and was swamped by the second corner slipping back with no sign of Dean. Van Gorkom powered through to second place behind Fields where they went to finish. Long and Ramirez battled to the line for bronze where for a few minutes it looked as if Team USA had taken first and third. Then it appeared as if third would be shared until Ramirez was finally awarded the third and Long had to settle for fourth. Willoughby and Dean finished sixth and eighth respectively.

Women’s

Men’s

It’s all in the history books now. Pajon with her second gold cementing her legend on the track and with Colombian fans. Fields is the first American to take gold in BMX at the Olympic games, a surprise for many with Fields missing a lot of racing through injury in the lead up to the games, but a well deserved win none the less.

Rumour is that Anthony Dean will retire this season, the strong Aussie looks in the best form he’s ever been in, it will be a shame to see the champion leave the sport.