Risks not worth the reward for BMX champion
Kiwi Olympic BMX cyclist Sarah Walker is leaving her future as an Olympian in the hands of Cycling New Zealand.
The 2012 London silver medallist has revealed she and compatriot Rebecca Petch have both decided not to compete in overseas qualification events due to restrictions and risks around Covid19.
With one spot up for grabs at the Games, it leaves Cycling New Zealand with only past results to use as recommendations.
Walker told Newstalk ZB the risks weren’t worth it.
“I was trying to find more reasons to go but just couldn’t find enough,”
Walker said. “For me, a big motivating factor is enjoyment and I love doing what I do and I love riding my bike and will going to those races include enjoyment of riding my bike?
“The logistics of travel, the risk of getting stuck, the two weeks in managed isolation — if you manage to make it back on the flight said you were going to be on — and if you don’t, what are you going to do if you get stuck overseas? So there are so many factors and we just make the best decision we can with the information we have.”
Selectors face a process ahead, with very little separating Walker and Petch.
The consideration can only be based on international results, so an internal race in New Zealand isn’t an option. They last raced at the same international event in February 2020 — where they both made the semifinals.
“Both of us have been performing on equal footing and it’s hard to decide which one has the upper hand,” Walker said. “So we could travel and it could continue that trend of actually there’s not a clearcut decision or could make the difference between someone is going and someone isn’t.
“But we’ve got to do what’s best for us as athletes, that’s where we look at what’s best for our build-up and go from there and make the decision based off that.”
Meanwhile, Walker was adamant if she missed out on the spot at Tokyo it wouldn’t necessarily mean retirement.
She said she wanted to challenge stereotypes around when female athletes should lower the curtain on their sporting careers.
“I think the part where I get to is I’ve always been someone that asks questions or challenges the norm and so the idea of going, ‘Hey Sarah you’re 32 now, you’ve been through four Olympic cycles, surely you must be retiring?’ . . . I really don’t like those stereotypes and I challenge them and that thinking,” she said.
“I’ve never been one to fit in a box and I want to live my life that way. Yes, there are other factors, but for me, that’s a big one.
“Just because I’m in my early 30s doesn’t mean I’m done.”
Cycling New Zealand’s selection will be announced in June.
— NZ Herald