Cycling: Walker wins Olympic BMX qualifier

World Champion BMX rider Sarah Walker. Photo / Greg Bowker

BMX rider Sarah Walker completed a perfect weekend with a second overall victory in the UCI Olympic qualifying event in Cambridge today.

The 21-year-old took out all three motos and the final in the second day of the Cambridge International.

It follows Walker's clean sweep of the first round yesterday (Sat) in her first competition of the year, racing in her home town.

Australian Lauren Reynolds, the runner-up behind Walker in last year's Oceania Championships, had two second placings and a third in the heats and was second in the final, while China's Lu Yan, second in the Asian Championships, was again third in a repeat of yesterday's placings.

Olympic hopeful Kurt Pickard made amends with an impressive win in the elite men's division.

Pickard dominated the motos yesterday before making a mistake on a jump to fade to fourth in the final. He again won all three motos today and dominated the final to earn some valuable Olympic qualifying points.

Rookie elite Gisborne's Nic Fox enjoyed his best finish with second placing in the final ahead of yesterday's winner Kurt James (Cambridge).

Australian Luke Hombsch took out the junior elite final when he held off the challenge from North Harbour's Michael Bias and compatriot Kerrod Connors.

Yesterday's winner Trent Jones from Kaiapoi, who won all of his motos today, missed out on the podium in the final, finishing fourth.

The BikeNZ High Performance riders now go into a training camp before planning the start of their international season with Supercross events in USA and Europe ahead of the world championships with the big goal of the London Olympics later in the year.

Results, day 2, Cambridge International BMX:

Elite women final: Sarah Walker (Cambridge) 1, Lauren Reynolds (Australia) 2, Lu Yan (China) 3.

Elite men: Kurt Pickard (Tauranga) 1, Nick Fox (Gisborne) 2, Kurt James (Cambridge) 3.

Junior elite: Luke Hombsch (Australia) 1, Michael Bias (North Harbour) 2, Kerrod Connors (Australia) 3.