Diriyah’s BMX World Cup sees Logan Martin win first freestyle stage

DIRIYAH: Australian biker Logan Martin recently won the first stage of the 2023 World Cup for BMX at the Elite Sports Center Arena in historic Diriyah, one of six stages of the contest, which also serves as qualifiers for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Prince Fahd bin Jalawi bin Abdulaziz bin Musaed, vice president of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee, presented Martin his award for winning the professional event, which took place from Feb. 10 to 18.

Martin, a gold medalist at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, won the championship title after scoring 93.5 points, ahead of America’s Marcus Christopher with 92.4, and Brian Fox with 90.1.

Adwaa Al-Arifi, deputy minister of sports, crowned America’s Hannah Roberts for winning the opening round in the women’s professional competition with 89.4 points. China’s Jia Qi Sun came second with 87.00 and America’s Perris Benegas third with 85.4.

In the amateur competition, Russia’s Jamil Ahmadzyanov won first place with 90 points, followed by Hungary’s Polasek Kennedy with 84.4, and Saudi Arabia’s Yusuf Muhammad third with 72.8.

The events and activities at the BMX World Cup, which attracted large numbers of local and international visitors, included parkour, skating, breakdancing and live music.

Several of the elite competitors were available for workshops and sessions with enthusiasts at the event.