Shriever adds rainbow jersey to her Olympic gold to complete perfect summer

Beth Shriever took to the podium once again for Great Britain, claiming gold at the 2021 UCI BMX World Championships in Papendal today to complete an Olympic/World Championships double.

 

Shriever flaunted the form that saw her win gold at the Tokyo Olympics, winning all three of her motos before easing through the knockout rounds in the elite women’s event, then rounding off her day with a comprehensive win in a stacked final.

 

Speaking about her world title, Shriever said: “It’s pretty hard to believe at the moment. I’ve been riding consistently all day – I just wanted to go out there and have a good time, just like I did in Tokyo.

 

“I went in gate eight and I was relaxed and happy. I said to my coach Marcus that I was going to do a Niek Kimmann and see what happens, and gate eight lived up to its name. Another gold medal, I can’t believe it!”

The result tops off what has been a fantastic month for Beth, who put her name in the history books in July with a gold medal-winning performance in Tokyo to become Britain’s first-ever Olympic medallist alongside teammate Kye Whyte.

In the men’s event, Quillan Isidore, Ross Cullen and Paddy Sharrock showed all of their promise this morning in the elite men’s motos, before bowing out in the 1/8 finals.

 

Junior rider Emily Hutt made it through the motos after a series of competitive runs but saw her world championships ended in the semi-final stages.

 

It was a similar story of early strong performances for the junior men, with Matthew Gilston, Oliver Cope and Chad Hartwell easing through their respective moto rounds – with teammates Mackenzie Rennison and Callum Russell just missing out on qualification.

 

That good form continued in the quarter-finals for Matthew Gilston, who booked his spot in the semis after a third-place finish – but in a heat marred with crashes did not finish his race.