Team GB's Kieran Reilly from Gateshead wins silver in BMX freestyle at Paris Olympics
Britain's Kieran Reilly has won silver in the BMX freestyle event at the Paris Olympics.
The 23-year-old secured 93.91 points in his second run - beating France's Anthony Jeanjean (93.76) and landing him in second place behind Argentina's José Torres Gil (94.82).
Speaking after the competition, Reilly, from Gateshead said he was feeling proud of himself.
"It was pretty special," he added. "I’ve worked three years just to get here so to end up on the podium is huge.
"A lot of work comes down to one minute on that course and I feel like I left everything out there."
Riding last at the La Concorde Urban Park, in Paris, on Wednesday 31 July, Reilly impressed in a performance which followed a number of falls from other riders.
The cyclist threw his bike in triumph after his better-scoring second run.
Reflecting on his efforts, he said: "My riding style is a lot of high volume and big trips. I’ve tried to add different tricks, going faster and higher.
"Today, I ended my run with a 720 double tail whip which in this last year competing, that would have been my biggest trick of the entire run.
"To finish with that under fatigue, that took a lot of commitment from me so I was proud to pull it off twice."
In the crowd were Newcastle United shirt-wearing supporters for Reilly, while at home, cheering him on was John Morris, from Urban Cycles, in Hebburn, who has been building bikes for Reilly for a number of years.
He told ITV Tyne Tees on Wednesday: "I met him probably about ten years ago I reckon now.
"And from when I first met him you knew he was going to be something quite special on a bike."
Reilly's performance followed a top show at the qualifying round on Tuesday.
Reilly was named alongside women’s Olympic BMX freestyle champion Charlotte Worthington as Britain's representatives at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
However, Worthington’s reign was over after she was knocked out of the competition at the qualifier.
It is the second time the BMX freestyle is appearing at the Olympics after making its debut at the Tokyo 2020 games.
Reilly hopes the games this summer will continue to raise the profile of the support.
He said: "When I started BMX, it wasn’t even a dream of mine to go to the games.
"Knowing that kids now might see more of a career in this sport, and that parents might take their kids to a BMX club rather than a Saturday football team, that’s amazing."We’re going to grow the sport and I hope this shows kids that you don’t have to be from somewhere with the best skate park in the world.
"You can make it work. The hard work will pay off, and if you’re someone who loves riding their bike, that’s not hard work."
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