Latvia will be represented at the Tokyo Olympics in BMX competitions by two athletes – national champions Helvijs Babris and Vineta Pētersone.
“Acclimatization is not a problem for me, because I have traveled to different parts of the world before,” compared to Peterson, Babrim’s adaptation to Tokyo conditions is easier. “I’m already acclimatized and I feel like everything is fine.”
In Tokyo, the air temperature reaches +30 degrees Celsius almost every day. Sometimes even more. The weather conditions do not affect Babri, because it is also very hot in Latvia, where the last stage of preparation has been completed.
“It’s not really hot here. It looked like there would be wetter air, but it’s quite similar,” the BMX athlete shares his thoughts.
Babrim has made several good starts before the Olympics. At the end of May, for the first time in his career, he entered the podium in the third stage of the World Cup, with a bronze war in his neck. Edžus Treimanis won the bronze medal for the last time in the World Cup stages in 2017. He was also crowned Latvian champion for the second time in his career this year.
“I think I’m ready, because Valmiera has really good conditions to prepare for the start. Extra driving only takes away strength,” Babris said in a conversation with Latvian journalists between training sessions. “For the third day, we are training on a track that is quite long compared to those we have ridden before.”
“The track is also complicated enough, but also interesting,” Babris confirmed earlier, says Vineta Peterson. “A lot of space is catchy and straight lines are followed by sharp shots. It’s hard to drive at high speeds on a strong windy track.”
BMX athletes were aware of the extremely long track before the Olympics. Almost every interviewed athlete says the same thing – the track is about five seconds longer. Babris also did not hesitate to say that this could be one of the most difficult tracks he has ridden so far.
“It may not seem like much. There are usually four straight lines, but those five seconds are like the fifth straight line,” Babris said of the difficult test, or the atypically long track. “BMX it’s a lot. You can feel it. Both I and the others are pretty much struggling with the first straight and the second jump.”
“I don’t think that the track itself affects driving, the wind can play a bigger role. In each training session the wind changes by 180 degrees, so you can’t really understand where the wind is blowing – wind or headwind. It also affects their driving. There will be problems if the first straight wind the wind. “
Babris does not consider himself a “starting shooter”, so the best performance will have to be shown in the middle of the track. The athlete pointed out that the complex configuration of the track will definitely require more strength. This is not new, so I have worked hard on it in trainings.
“In Valmiera we rode a lot of endurance training and did other different jobs. Endurance can be trained in different ways,” said the only Latvian representative in BMX cycling.
24 athletes participate in BMX competitions for both men and women. The competition starts immediately from the quarterfinals. The 16 fastest will enter the semi-finals.
“The goal is the grand final,” does not hide Babris, who is following in the footsteps of two-time Olympic champion Maris Strombergs. “I’ll do my best to achieve that. I think the coach would like that too. It’s a common goal for us that we’re moving towards.”
“Maris has left his name in the world of BMX, but I focused on myself. Times have changed,” the athlete added. “Maris was also present at the last training session. I think it gave extra motivation and energy.”
The athlete revealed that the athletes of the USA and the Netherlands have tried to imitate some sections of the track at their home, but on the spot in Tokyo it does not seem to have given the expected result.
The first day of the BMX competition in Tokyo is scheduled for Thursday. Babrim is scheduled to start in the second race, which will start on Thursday at 4.42 Latvian time. Competitors will also include representatives of the BMX superpower Netherlands.
The Tokyo Olympics will end on August 8.
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