DAY ONE: Who Looked Hot?

Photos by Bruce Morris

Day 1 of the 2026 UCI BMX World Championships lit up the home of AUS Cycling in Brisbane with a stack of electric Championship racing. We’ll get to the official results from Day 1, but let's talk about who looked fast.

In the Elites, there were four racers who caught our eye out front and a few more who had us holding our breath on the bubble. 

Jesse Asmus kicked off his race day with the fastest time and continued his home track speed boost through to the 1/8 mains. Joining Asmus in the eye-catching category of Elite Men, Ross Cullen stretched out his lead in both rounds and 1/8 mains. Looking less like BMX riders and more like well-built machines, we’ll definitely keep an eye on them in the Day 2 knockout rounds. 

Over to the Elite Women, it was the hometown hero and the defending champ stretching away from the pack. Both Saya Sakakibara and Bethany Shriever put a four-bike lead on the rest of the ladies by the finish line, and while Payton Ridenour and Delaney Vaughn showed fast times down the first straight, the track speed of Sakakibara and Shriever was on another level. 

Throughout both the Elite Men and Elite Women racing, some familiar faces from the USA BMX National series were in the mix for a spot in Day 2, most notably Cam Wood, Kamren Larsen, Rico Beerman, Asuma Nakai, Jack Davis, Molly Simpson, and Laura Smulders, all of whom found their way through Day 1. Unfortunately, for fan favorites Drew Polk and Ryan Tougas, their days ended early in the LCQ’s 

In the U23 ranks, there was no denying that Josh Jolly was the fastest man on track for the first day of racing. Recently moving to the area ahead of the world championships, Jolly has had plenty of track time and brought the Australian fans to their feet, making quick work of Day 1’s job. With plenty of fast riders in the developmental championship class, it was great to see Jordan Callum racing for his home country colors, along with Cutter Williams and Sean Day, who both bounced back from the LCQ to claim a spot in the U23 1/4. 

On the U23 Women’s side of racing, Alexis Alden kicked off her championship run with a high note. Winning her round one and quickly headed back to the pits to prepare for Day 2 the U23 women. From Renske van Santvoort to Isabella Schramm and Veronika Sturiska, it was a full mixed bag of which nation was in the hunt for the U23 rainbow jersey. On the precipice of joining the top class in Women’s BMX racing, learn the names quick, because they might just be in the gate at the Olympic Games come 2028.

Now the Juniors gave us a curveball. While we weren’t expecting to see their 1/4s on Day 1, we got a pleasant surprise getting right into their knockout rounds. USA’s Tommy Bruney set the mark to beat with the fastest Junior Men time of Day 1, using his South Park-grown speed and style to claim a spot in his 1/2 main along with both Esposito and Godaire, who joined the ½ startlist. Bringing all three Junior Men racing for the US into the second day of racing, Canada brought three of their own with Jack Cerney, Zakary Kaiser, and Luke Zhou all punching their ticket into the second day of racing. Junior men can get chaotic, but it seems like the boys are keeping it smooth ahead of the big championship day. 

On the Junior Women’s side, Great Britain’s Freia Challis showed her English speed throughout the track. On the US side of the class, Darin Merten and Preslie Gould of the US punched into the semi-show. Unfortunately, Junior women brought a big get off with Addison Thompson going down hard on the first straightaway. Unable to fight the G-force at the bottom of the hill, the Montana native buckled into her frame up the lip and went OTB down the backside. While she tried to ride it off, the UCI medical team waved her off track to check her out in the medical tent. Thankfully, we’re expecting to see Addison Thompson return to a track near you soon with even more speed and experience on her side.

The world champ brings a special feeling into the BMX racing world with fans and families in the stands cheering on their riders. The victories are sweeter and the heartbreak even more devastating. One thing is for sure: Everyone’s ready for Day 2 in Brisbane, but who will be ready to claim the rainbow stripes for themselves?

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DAY 2 Startlists

ELITE MEN

ELITE WOMEN

U23 MEN

u23 WOMEN

JUNIOR MEN

JUNIOR WOMEN