Rico Bearman has made tomorrow’s men’s semi-finals of the BMX racing, but fellow New Zealander Leila Walker has missed out in the women’s event.
Bearman, 21, finished 14th in the quarter-finals, having placed 7th, 6th and 3rd (in 32.093s) in his three races. He had to ride in the aptly name Last Chance round, where a top 4 finish would enable the rider to advance to the semi-finals.
The US-based Bearman, on the inside lane, rode aggressively, grabbed the early lead and was never headed, winning in 32.736s.
Walker, 19, placed 3rd (in 36.974s), 6th and 8th in her three quarter-final races, for 17th overall. She too relied on a top four placing in the Last Chance round, but she could manage only 6th in 38.347s in a race marred by a crash and failed to advance.