My Rio. Representing Denmark: Niklas Laustsen.

Nov 14, 2016

Written by Bart de Jong

Read 7114 times

Name: Niklas Laustsen
Country: Denmark
Rio number: 30
Sponsors: Team gear2win Denmark and Haro racing

How big was your struggle even making it to the Olympics?
Niklas: It was big. I had to fight all year leading up to it just to make the cut.

Olympic race?
Niklas: Prior to the Olympics, my goal was to reach the semis. I knew it was going to be tough to do so and unfortunately, I did not achieve it on the day.

How much different did the track look when you saw it for the first time?
Niklas: I did not go to the test event so seeing it at the Olympics was the first time for me. I had seen all the videos from the test events and I think I expected the worst, but it turned out to be good at the Olympics.

How big was your team around you in Rio? (Mechanic, coach, nutrition, physio, family/friends, etc...)
Niklas: I was pretty much on my own, so pretty small! I had my coach Kurt Pickard there with me for the racing days but other than that, I was by myself.

Were you in the best shape you have ever been in when it was time to race on the Olympic track?
Niklas: Yes I was. I had been doing times at the track in Copenhagen that I have never been close to before and overall just felt really good on my bike.

How was staying in the Olympic village?
Niklas: It was a cool experience. With all the best athletes in the world together in one place and all the tension from the Olympics it creates a pretty special atmosphere.

Did you get to hang out with other athletes from different countries and different sports?
Niklas: Yes, that is one of the great things about the Olympics as well. I mainly got to spend some time with the big sports names from Denmark.

Did you participate in the opening/closing ceremonies and how was that experience?
Niklas: I was at the closing ceremony. It rained a lot and they had us standing at the floor of the stadium so couldn’t really see that much. It took some of the fun out of it but was huge to walk into the stadium with all the athletes and the whole stadium was buzzing.

Did you ride a special bike in Brasil?
Niklas: Haro made me a special painted frame that turned out absolutely amazing! Definitely the best looking bike I’ve ever ridden.

Were you proud riding in the National Team colours?
Niklas: Yes for sure. We are a small nation in BMX and I was proud to just have qualified a male spot for the Olympics.

Did you get to watch any other sports during your stay?
Niklas: I went to watch the men’s handball final between Denmark and France. Denmark took the win, so turned out to be an awesome experience.

Was it worth it spending four years of hard training to do this one Olympic race?
Niklas: Yes it was. I wouldn’t change anything from the past four years and would have done it all over again. One thing is the Olympic experience but on the road to get there you learn so much about yourself and your surroundings.

2020 Tokyo. What are your plans?
Niklas: Not sure yet. After the Olympics, I began studying at the university so that’s taking a lot of my time at the moment. I’ll see how everything turns out within the next year.

Thanks to: Copenhagen BMX club for the past three years they have been supporting me. They are one of the biggest reasons I qualified for the Olympics. And of course my sponsors Team gear2win Denmark and Haro racing