Pajon Wins Women’s BMX Gold

2011 world champion Mariana Pajon of Colombia scored gold in the Women’s BMX Final race, besting New Zealand’s Sarah Walker and Netherlands’ Laura Smulders.

Pajon and Walker both made great starts from the middle of the field, with Laetitia le Corguille in pursuit.

Pajon eked out a small lead through the first set of rollers and took the fastest line through Turn One. The Colombian riders maintained her lead all the way to the finish, crossing the line .427 seconds ahead of Walker.

Le Corguille tried to go around Walker on the outside through Turn Three but couldn’t pass Walker who was on the shorter route.

Dutch rider Laura Smulders was fourth out of the third turn and into the tunnel but put on a huge kick to get inside Corguille into the fourth turn. Try as she might, she couldn’t quite catch Walker, finishing .048 seconds behind the Kiwi rider.

The 20-year-old Pajon has won more than two dozen championships starting at age 9, riding as a junior until 2010 when she started competing as an adult. This is her first Olympic medal.

Sarah Walker, 24, came back from breaking her collarbone at the world championships in Birmingham, England in June. She has three world championships to her name, as well as a fourth-place finish in the Beijing Olympics; silver at London likely ranks at the top of her list.

This was 18-year-old Laura Smulders’ first Olympics. She has won a number of national and European Junior titles, from Netherlands Girls 11-12 in 2005 to European Girls, 15, 16, and 17-18, from 2008–2010. This was her first international podium finish as an adult.

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