In Kawerau a disappointed crowd come to grips with the fact that the local girl has failed to win a medal. Photo / Alan Gibson
The kids in Kawerau have their own song about Sarah Walker.
"She is our champion," they sing, "and the world's number one.
"She sets her goals in something that she loves and still has fun."
And although the 20-year-old missed out on a medal in the Olympic BMX
yesterday, it was obvious that among the residents of her hometown, she is still considered a champion.
"She did her very best and she made us proud," said close family friend and community sports coordinator Edwina O'Brien.
"I'm surprised she didn't fall off. That was just one mad race."
Mrs O'Brien said to show the strength of the town's pride, locals would now hold a ticker-tape parade for Walker when she returned.
Kawerau has long rallied around the 2007 BMX world champion, including coming up with thousands of dollars to help her and her family get to Beijing.
Only 6900 people live in the Eastern Bay of Plenty town, but several hundred gathered in the local mall to cheer the 20-year-old on as she lined up for the sudden-death final after making it through three semifinal heats in the afternoon.
"We'll stick by you to the bitter end," sang the children of her former primary school, Kawerau South.
"Tall as a totara, Sarah, you're the best in the world."
The group of 9- to 11-year-olds screamed when they saw Walker on three TV screens set up in the mall. "Go Sarah," the schoolchildren yelled.
Among the crowd who saw her come fourth was another world champion BMX-er and Kawerau local, Annette Tawhi (now Ngaheu).
The eight times New Zealand number one and soon-to-be mother of three admitted she had bribed the 20-year-old to ride with "chocolate bars and chippies" when she was younger.
"I always knew she'd go high in the sport," Tawhi said. "It's do or die really in BMX."
