SLINGSHOT STEVE – The impact and importance of Olympians

The Great Britain Cycling Team works to four-year cycles, centred around the biggest sporting event in the world, the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Our success is measured around medal targets and that in turn delivers funding for the next cycle.

For many of our riders, coaches and staff, this four-year cycle never ends, and the search to deliver the next generation of talent continues at pace. There are two elements to this need: ?young riders with the talent and passion to embark on the journey and a clear pathway that will guide & support them along the way.

BMX freestyle park perfectly exemplifies both these things. It is the newest cycling discipline to be included in the Olympic Games, debuting at Tokyo 2020. After being granted ￡1.8m of funding from UK Sport in 2018, the Great Britain Cycling Team (GBCT) embarked on the new challenge of delivering the thrills and success people expected from our team, in a new and fairly unknown discipline. We worked quickly to identify talented riders such as Charlotte Worthington & Declan Brooks OLY , providing them with the additional resource and support they needed to get to the Games.??

In the five years since the announcement, the freestyle park squad has delivered two Olympic medals, including the world’s first women’s freestyle park Olympic gold from Charlotte, as well as consistent success at elite level, winning two World and three European medals.

Of course, from this early success comes the pressure to repeat it and better it, now and in the years to come, and this journey has already started. The success of the squad has led to funding as we head to the Paris 2024 Games, enabling the GBCT to recruit the best freestyle park coaches in the country to deliver a complete pathway from junior (age 16), to podium level. This programme has already seen 16-year-old Sasha Pardoe come to the fore with an impressive sixth place finish at the 2022 European Championships in Munich.

Our Talent team led by Joe Malik have been quick to capitalise on the Olympic success that has inspired growth and awareness of the sport. ?With support from Sport England the talent programme is driving more participation across the country and has created the first-ever British Cycling Freestyle Park National Series which launched last year. Due to its incredible success, the series will return in 2023 with another six rounds starting in April.

This brings me to the inspiring 10-year-old, Steven, aka Slingshot Steve, who has recently been spotlighted in British Cycling's ‘Behind the Bike’ series, as he embarked on the final round of the 2022 national series.

Steven credits the freestyle park community with welcoming him into the sport and giving him the confidence to try new things, particularly when he finds himself training in the same environment as elite GBCT riders, who are more than happy to share their insight and tips to improve his tricks. This just shows how unique and extraordinary freestyle park is, where a young 10 year old kid can walk up to one of the best in the world and get some tips.

According to the British Cycling market tracker, 35% of the UK population say GBCT cyclists inspire them to ride their bike and 20% are inspired to participate in a cycling event, so Steven’s story is not an isolated one. It highlights the continued importance and influence that the world’s best riders can have on those wanting to try a new sport for fun, as well as those who will become the Olympians and Paralympians of the future.

While BMX freestyle park has achieved an unprecedented amount in a short space of time, its legacy is not guaranteed and harnessing the interest and passion of a future generation through world-class performances is just the start. Providing the funding and infrastructure that will enable riders like Steven to develop and follow in the footsteps of trailblazers of the sport like Charlotte and Declan Brooks OLY , who are setting the precedent for future generations, is vital.

I am sure we will be seeing Steven and some of his young buddies in LA28 Olympic & Paralympic Games or beyond!