Not even breaking his collarbone three times in four years has stopped BMX athlete Blake Mete from his dogged pursuit of competitive glory.
The 18-year-old BMX rider, now in his third year with the Illawarra Academy of Sport (IAS), dreams of conquering Pro Straights and Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) World Cup Rounds.
Blake was a naturally competitive child and explored a variety of sports, including soccer and footy, but his teammates' perceived lack of effort always frustrated him.
“I would take the sports I did pretty seriously and, being at a young age, I'd believe that such teammates around me didn't,” Blake said. “So, I would retire from them after a short amount of time.”
Blake discovered BMX after his mum spotted a Southlake Illawarra BMX racing ad.
“I had always liked riding my bike, once I got off my training wheels I'd do laps around my pop's front yard and sometimes just wouldn't stop.
“I would always keep my eyes on the elite/Olympic-level riders and would always be so fascinated by how good they were.
“I had dreams that one day I'd be racing down this massive eight-metre start hill and be flying over such huge jumps, but now I'm starting to turn these dreams to reality.”
Blake joined the IAS and has taken full advantage of the school's resources, such as their conditioning programs and the staff's knowledge of sport psychology. The IAS also gave him the chance to try different terrain.
“Living in an area where there is only one BMX track, all my training was focused at one track,” Blake said.
“Joining the IAS has allowed me to travel to other tracks and train with other academies, with their coaches and athletes.”
Blake aims to train five to six days a week, including one or two days on the track. He also does three gym sessions, alternating between the IAS gym and his own home gym, and strives to fit in two hours of BMX practice a day.
Unfortunately, injuries hampered Blake's early career: he has broken his collarbone three times in just four years.
“My first break was at 13 years old, when I was in year 7 and just starting to peak in my skills and speed,” Blake said.
“The next four years were tough.
“I would start to make progress only to break it again and be set back for months.”
Despite this, Blake has continued to show resilience in the sport – he even placed 6th in the national event in Alice Springs in 2023, one of his proudest achievements.
Having recently started an apprenticeship as a heavy diesel mechanic and automotive electrician at Cleary Brothers, Blake wants to avoid injuries. However, he still dreams of competing against the best in the world.
“I would love to keep riding and keep improving,” Blake said.
“Taking on the big pro straights that have some eight-metre tracks is definitely my goal.
“I would love to compete in the UCI World Cup Rounds one day soon.”
Blake has a lot of upcoming events and – having moved up a class from Junior Elite (17-18) to Under 23 elite – he expects the competition to become more difficult.
“Although the racing will be harder this year, I'm definitely up for the challenge and will always do my best.
“I love the sport and the way it makes me feel when I achieve a new gate PB (personal best) time, or a new PB lap time.
“Striving to improve is my motivator.”
