Rio Olympic hopefuls Bodi Turner and Lauren Reynolds have both scored their second victories in as many days by claiming the elite men’s and women’s titles in round six of the BMX Australia National Series at Westside BMX club in Perth.
Defending champion Turner’s win, from American star Barry Nobles and New Zealander Michael Bias, was his fourth straight national series triumph and the second year in a row that the Gold Coast based Victorian has claimed a double in the series’ Perth round.
Bunbury’s Reynolds was too good for world number one Caroline Buchanan (@CBuchanan68) in a thrilling women’s event that could very easily have been a world championships final, such was the pace at the front of the field. Pine Rivers’ Sarah Harvey was third.
Turner (@boditurner) and Reynolds (@LR21BMX) also won the DK and Loose Kid Industries Holeshot awards for the fastest men and women out of the first turn in the elite finals. Along with London Olympic silver medallist Sam Willoughby, world number four Anthony Dean and Buchanan the pair are both in line for positions on Australia's team for next year's Olympic Games.
Turner, who now takes a commanding lead in the overall series to sit on 1145 points from Josh Callan (1040) and Corey Frieswyk (830), said his plan to focus on the start had paid handsome dividends.
“It feels awesome to go back-to-back again this weekend,” Turner said.
“I just love that first straight and it’s a big advantage on this track if you get out in front first because it’s pretty narrow the whole way round.
“It’s all I was focussing on this weekend, it was just getting out of that gate.”
Reynolds’ weekend double comes as she prepares to fly back to her US-base tonight in preparation for the upcoming international season and confirms she is in the best shape of her career that has already netted an Olympic berth in 2012 and a world championships silver medal behind Buchanan in 2013.
“It feels amazing, I haven’t done this in years,” Reynolds said of her golden double.
“This year I think will be massive, the level of competition overseas is going to be super high but I’m ready.
“I’ve had a good pre-season with my coach Sean Dwight and I’m feeling probably better than I ever have. I’ve done a lot of work mentally so it’s going to be a big year and I have just got to keep moving forward.”
Buchanan still leads the women’s series with 1190 points from a fast closing Reynolds (1150) and round four winner Melinda McLeod (950), who crashed out of the final today.
In the men’s junior elite category Geelong’s Brandon Te Hiko made it a winning double for the weekend to take victory from Shane Rosa and world number four Jye Hombsch.
Mirroring Te Hiko’s winning double in the women’s junior elite event was New Zealander Zoe Fleming who won a tight tussle with Nerang’s Tyler-Lea Thorley and Bunbury’s Rachelle Smith.
Others to snare a winning double over the weekend included Japan’s Southlake / Illawarra based rider Saya Sakakibara who remains undefeated in the 16 girls, Tuggeranong’s Mikayla Rose (15 girls) and Castle Hills Ashlee Miller (14 girls).
The boy’s 14’s was taken out by Dylan Bennetts (Wanneroo), the 15’s by Izaac Kennedy (Logan City) and the 16’s by Joshua Boyton (Centenary Plains).