Loupos recovers from broken back to win BMX nationals

[Pelican Press 0]

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Loupos recovers from broken back to win BMX nationals

Brandon Loupos has recovered from a broken back to win his first *********** BMX freestyle championship in three years.

In the wake of her breakthrough bronze medal at the Paris Olympics, Natalya Diehm recovered from a flat tyre to successfully defend the women’s title.

Loupos, the 2019 world champion, has had a succession of injuries through his career. He was laid up in hospital last September after crashing while competing in Japan.

On Sunday, with defending champion Samual Grace injured and Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Logan Martin not competing, Loupos starred on the Gold Coast.

He posted 96.67 on his opening run in the final to beat Chris James, who pushed him with a score of 94.33, while Keegan Pryor (89.33) was third.

“It’s been a rough six months – not going to lie. Staring at the ceiling in a hospital in Japan was not fun for a month,” Loupos said. “Learning how to twist my body again and move around was a challenge, and now I’m standing on top of the podium at the national championships.”

Loupos praised James for his performance, calling him “the people’s champ”.

In the women’s final, Diehm was in early trouble when she had a flat tyre in her first run.

But she won a fifth *********** title by scoring 93.33 on her second run, beating Sarah Nicki (88.67) and Mylee Toohey (83.33).

“I was really feeling the pressure to deliver on my second run, and I’m really proud of how I handled myself,” Diehm said.

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