Sakakibara conquers bad memories to triumph at World Cup

New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) scholarship athlete Saya Sakakibara defied being rattled by an unwelcome memory to triumph in a UCI BMX Racing World Cup round held at Papendal, the Netherlands.

The 23-year-old Olympian took a break from racing last year after a series of concussions resulting from falls, including one at the Papendal course. After citing her mental recovery as a priority when she announced her decision to rest, Sakakibara missed last year’s World Championships.

In the lead up to the race – in which the Australian defeated the host nation’s well supported siblings Laura and Merel Smulders to claim the Women Elite Final, Sakakibara revealed how one of her final pre-match training sessions left her in tears.

“On Friday I had such a bad training session that I went home and cried for like two hours, I don’t know why,” she told media.

“This track has good memories, but also a lot of bad ones like concussions, and just dealing with all those emotions, aside from the stresses of racing, was just really a lot.

“I don’t know what I was able to do, but I think I just kind of took it one race at a time, literally just broke it down and just trusted myself completely.

“And I just can’t believe it. Honestly, I can’t believe it.”

With that in mind, Sakakibara said the victory had greater significance than being ‘just’ a World Cup win.

However, the victory carries her to third overall after three rounds of the World Cup, backing up a fifth place finish last time out in Turkey.

Adding to Sakakibara’s celebrations was her partner Frenchman Romain Mahieu won the Men Elite category.

Daniel Lane, NSWIS