Breaking: Saya Sakakibara has won gold at the Olympics today!
To read the magazine layout, click here or find the text version below.
Saya Sakakibara is ready to win gold in Paris.
The 25-year-old Helensburgh athlete is representing Australia in the sport she’s been doing since she was four years old: BMX. The Paris Games are her second Olympics.
The Paris challenge comes in the wake of a turbulent few years of extreme training and competition, and personal hardships.
But the Sakakibara family stands strong in the face of adversity.
Saya and her older brother Kai were for a long time both associated with elite-level BMX success and both were on track to gain selection for the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics (held in 2021 because of the Covid-19 pandemic). That is, until February 8, 2020. On that day Kai crashed in his opening-round heat of the UCI BMX World Cup event at Bathurst and suffered a traumatic brain injury that would change his life and end his BMX career. He was 23.
It’s been a harrowing ordeal for Kai and his family and it continues as Kai is working hard to rebuild himself, to grow a flourishing side hustle as an in-demand motivational speaker. Kai also has his sights set on a spot in the Paralympics rowing team for the 2028 Games. He’s always been a fighter.
And that family fighting spirit is just as strong in Saya. She’s had to bounce back from race crashes (including crashing out of the Tokyo Olympics in her semi-final), concussions and crushing self-doubt to achieve global BMX success, including being crowned UCI BMX Racing World Cup champion in 2023 and 2024. And now it’s her time to shine on the Olympic stage.
Saya kindly took time out of her hectic training schedule in the last few days before the Olympics started on July 26 to answer questions.
What’s it like to be at your second Olympics?
I feel so grateful. It was only just two years ago, I thought about letting go of this idea, and giving it up all together. My training has been going really well. I think I learnt a lot in the past 10 weeks after my last race, which was the World Champs, and I adjusted the things I needed to, to be even more prepared for this one.
Is it a bit bittersweet without Kai competing?
Everything Kai does at this point is a bonus to what he’s already achieved in his recovery. He has come so far in the past four years and to now be rowing and aiming for the Paralympics is just so inspiring. Of course, our dream was to make it to the Olympics together but from his work ethic and mindset, I know Kai’s time will come!
What are some of the greatest challenges you’ll face during the Paris Games?
I think it will be not getting caught up in the spectacle of it all. They say no one can prepare you for your first Olympics and I thought that was quite true in hindsight back in 2021. It was all very new and I wasn’t prepared enough for it. Now I know somewhat what to expect, I’ve been working on solidifying my race week routine, my race day routine, warm-up routine, so I have something familiar that I can focus on. So I can be confident in an environment when everything is different.
How do you control your fear and nerves just before a race?
It comes with practice and preparation. It’s all about coming back to my own process, and controlling what you can control. So that could be simple cues I say to myself like “Focus on the process” or “Follow the process”. And practising that in the real world at races. At some point you realise the fears are quite irrelevant to what you are trying to do, so it gets easier to disregard them.
What inspiration do you draw from Kai?
His willingness to never give up, his ruthlessness in sticking with something and his focus. During his recovery, there was not one point when he complained about the rehab or the way his body functions. He just quietly got on with what he needs to do. Because that was the only option in his mind! He is so strong and he doesn’t let anything get in the way of what he is trying to achieve.
I love that!
Save the date
The women's BMX racing at the Paris 2024 Olympics is scheduled for August 2 (quarter-finals) and August 3 (semi-finals and final).