My story, written by Kye Whyte.
It was my brothers who inspired me to take up BMX racing.
That might sound a bit boring, but it was as simple as me wanting to be like Daniel and Tre. We all started at Brixton BMX Racing Club, before we left to join the newly founded club in Peckham. One of the club’s founders, CK Flash, was a big influence at the start. He helped us when we first joined Peckham, coached us, bought our kit and generally helped us out.
I was probably the best of the three of us, but as the youngest I had to wait a little longer before I could properly start racing. Me and my brothers used to travel with our dad in his seven-seater to races up and down the country. We’d load the car up with bikes and a six-man tent and set off for the next event, get the job done, then go home. Simple as that really.
When we weren’t out racing, I was sat at home watching videos of Thomas Allier and Kyle Bennett. Kyle’s number – 88 – was retired when he unfortunately passed away a few years ago. They were two of the best BMXers to ever do it and were definitely inspirations growing up.
2008 was a big year for BMX. As an eight-year-old, seeing BMX racing feature at the Olympic Games for the first time was a huge deal. It was Daniel who got onto the British Cycling squad first, then Tre followed suit a few years later, and then I also got onto the programme a few years after that.
Tre and I were on the squad at the same time; coming to British Cycling and training with my brother was a highlight of the job. We looked out for each other when we were racing, too. Like, if we picked gates next to each other at a race, we’d sometimes give each other space so that we both had the best chance of winning. Other times, when we were both at the top of our game, the winner was whoever was flying on the day.
There’s always an excitement around the Olympic Games. Going to the Olympics is what every athlete dreams of; it’s the highest goal you can achieve. The odds of making it onto the team are super low, so it’s an absolute honour to have been picked for a second Olympics.
Winning a silver medal in Tokyo was wicked, and getting a chance to go one further in Paris is just as special, if not more so. Being Olympic champion comes down to having the best head on the day, to be honest, so I’ll be trying my hardest to get in the zone so that I can deliver.
I love putting on a show, especially when I have friends and family in the crowd supporting me. Sure, there’s a job to do, but you’ve got to have fun at the same time.
Besides, it’s not just a race: it’s a performance.
