• 5 months ago
After only having become an Olympic sport in 2008, BMX racing is considered one of the most dangerous of the events that will feature at this year's games in Paris.
Transcript
00:00I'm passionate about the sport, I want to be there. That's really all I train for, race for, it's everything, that's what I want to do.
00:12Danny Jake has just finished his GCSEs, but unlike his classmates, he won't be spending the summer swanning off in the sun.
00:19In fact, it's straight back to work and straight back on his bike as he follows his dream to one day be part of the Team GB BMX racing squad.
00:28First picking up the sport at the age of 8 thanks to the encouragement of a family friend, Danny quickly fell in love with the speed, adrenaline and fearlessness required to take on tracks like these and hasn't looked back since.
00:41I just like going fast, I like the adrenaline, going around, jumping all the big jumps, it's good.
00:47There's a lot of hard work put into it, going from gym to doing sprints, it's a dedicated sport you have to be into.
00:56Just before a go I'm thinking tunnel vision, wanting to get to the corner first and get there as quick as I can.
01:06Danny Jake has already won major national competitions, with the most recent being in Cumbernauld in Scotland, where he took the top spot in the junior men's race.
01:15BMX racing isn't just about shooting it down the track as fast as you can, there's a huge amount of control that comes into it, especially on these jumps.
01:298 riders launch themselves from the top of an 8 metre hill to try and stay in close formation as they navigate a variety of dirt jumps and banks turns to come out in front.
01:39The sport first appeared at the Olympics in Beijing 2008 and has remained one of the most popular fixtures.
01:45It's since gone on to become notorious for its crashes and at Tokyo 2020 was considered the most dangerous sport with athletes picking up more injuries than any other event.
01:55But even the prospect of a crash doesn't slow down Danny Jake's determination.
02:01You can break bones such as I have, I break a lot.
02:05Does that worry you at all? How much does that come into your preparation?
02:08I don't really think about it after.
02:11Danny Jake's main track is at Peckham BMX Club, but he takes himself a weekly practice here at CycloPark in Gravesend, where the track itself is named after one of Team GB's greatest BMX successes, gold medallist Beth Schriever.
02:25During the Olympic season, the excitement here only grows.
02:29There's definitely an increased participation, especially when the Olympics is actually on.
02:32I think people start to see the sports on the telly and think, I'll have a go at that.
02:36Beth Schriever had quite a long time riding here, so that started off with a few of the local clubs, and to see her go on to do amazing things has actually been a crazy experience for the venue.
02:46And like I say, seeing Danny Jake and some of the likes of the other riders that have been coming through, we know that we can kind of allow those people to have that pathway.
02:54So as he follows in the tyre tracks of the legends before him, perhaps one day we'll all be cheering on Danny Jake's name as he gears up for a future of success.
03:03Bartholomew Hall for KNTV in Gravesend.

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