Tricks, flips and disconnects: BMX freestyle joins Olympic party in Tokyo

BMX welcomes its flashier sibling to the Ariake Urban Sports Park and the results are sure to be spectacular

Thirteen years after BMX racing made its Games debut in Beijing, the off-road cycling pursuit has welcomed its flashier sibling, BMX freestyle, into the Olympic fold. Both disciplines are fast and furious, but with distinctly different styles.

The debutant discipline is mesmerising: freestyle riders are given 60 seconds to cause havoc across an obstacle-filled park. They pull as many tricks as they can, receiving an average score from a panel of judges based on 11 distinct criteria. In the final, each rider is given two runs – the best single score wins. The manic front-flips and back-flips make for compelling viewing.

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from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3ykx5vm