Waikato Herald
  • Waikato Herald home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Rural
  • Lifestyle
  • Lotto results

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Lifestyle
  • Lotto results

Locations

  • Hamilton
  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Matamata & Piako
  • Cambridge
  • Te Awamutu
  • Tokoroa & South Waikato
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Weather

  • Thames
  • Hamilton
  • Tokoroa
  • Taumarunui
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Waikato News

Tokyo Olympics 2020: Kiwi BMX racer Rebecca Petch through to semifinals

By Caitlan Johnston
Multimedia journalist·Te Awamutu Courier·
29 Jul, 2021 05:30 AM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

NZ Herald Focus Sport's Cheree Kinnear recaps New Zealand's first gold medal as a potentially historic day dawns on day eight. Video / NZ Herald

Emotions were high in Te Awamutu as family and friends watched Kiwi BMX racer and local Rebecca Petch make a “gutsy” comeback in her quarter-final BMX races today, going on to qualify for tomorrow’s semifinals.

Petch picked herself up after she went flying over her handlebars midway through her first race when her front wheel locked up.

Rebecca Petch's mother and father, Barry and Sonya Petch, celebrate her qualification for the semifinals. Photo / Caitlan Johnston
Rebecca Petch's mother and father, Barry and Sonya Petch, celebrate her qualification for the semifinals. Photo / Caitlan Johnston

The devastation was clear among a room filled with her family and friends at Fahrenheit Restaurant in Te Awamutu who had gathered to watch her compete in her first Olympic Games.

She was coming third at the time of her crash and finished in fifth with a time of 2mins 01sec. Japanese rider Sae Hatakeyama also crashed and did not finish.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Hearts briefly dropped in the room as it appeared Petch may not have joined the line-up for her second race, but relief spread as she popped out of the other side of the pit ready to go.

Petch's mother, Sonya left devastated after watching her crash in the first race. Photo / Caitlan Johnston.
Petch's mother, Sonya left devastated after watching her crash in the first race. Photo / Caitlan Johnston.

"I didn't see her come through the pits and when I saw that she wasn't up on the gate I was thinking she must be injured, but then she popped out the other side and she rode outstanding," says Barry Petch, Petch's father.

Her coach Matt Cameron, who is with her in Tokyo, reported back to the family that she was feeling 50/50 following her crash but was ready to get back out after some motivational words her mother, Sonya Petch, said.

"Well they worked," recalled Sonya after Petch finished in third place in her second race.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Family and friends gathered at Fahrenheit Restaurant in Te Awamutu to watch Petch race today. Photo / Caitlan Johnston
Family and friends gathered at Fahrenheit Restaurant in Te Awamutu to watch Petch race today. Photo / Caitlan Johnston

And she continued strong in her third race finishing second, to qualify for the semifinal.

"She's in for the semis, we're super proud," says Barry.

Petch's family, from left, brother Cameron Petch, partner Jarrod Browning, mother Sonya Petch and father Barry Petch. Photo / Caitlan Johnston
Petch's family, from left, brother Cameron Petch, partner Jarrod Browning, mother Sonya Petch and father Barry Petch. Photo / Caitlan Johnston

The BMX semifinals kick off tomorrow at 1pm NZT followed by the men’s final at 2.40pm NZT and then the women’s final at 2.50pm NZT.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Waikato News

Waikato Herald

Waiuku triple-fatal: Neighbour dreads watching another family grieve

Waikato Herald

Waiuku crash victims named as mother, young daughter, niece

Waikato Herald

Detached boat and trailer caused fatal crash near Te Kūiti


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Waikato News

Waiuku triple-fatal: Neighbour dreads watching another family grieve
Waikato Herald

Waiuku triple-fatal: Neighbour dreads watching another family grieve

First person on scene recounts discovering woman and two kids in car.

16 Jul 07:30 AM
Waiuku crash victims named as mother, young daughter, niece
Waikato Herald

Waiuku crash victims named as mother, young daughter, niece

16 Jul 04:14 AM
Detached boat and trailer caused fatal crash near Te Kūiti
Waikato Herald

Detached boat and trailer caused fatal crash near Te Kūiti

16 Jul 02:57 AM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Waikato Herald e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Waikato Herald
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP