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Sarah Walker - Source: Photosport -
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New Zealand rider Sarah Walker collected her second rainbow
jersey after winning the cruiser class title at the BMX world
championships in Adelaide on Sunday night.
Walker (Kawerau) added the cruiser title to the BMX elite world
championship she won last night at the Adelaide Showgrounds.
She is believed to be the first elite woman to win the double of
the BMX and Cruiser class world titles, the latter raced on bikes
with larger 24 inch diameter wheels.
It is her second Cruiser world championship, winning for the title
in Canada two years ago and she placed third last year.
Walker, who was on cloud nine after her world championship double,
said it had been difficult to focus on the race after her brilliant
victory on Saturday night.
"I did manage to get plenty of sleep because I really wanted to
give it my best shot today," Walker said.
"But I had the attitude today that I was so pleased with my
performance whatever happened. So I pretty much muddled through the
motos."
She did more than that, winning all three impressively in the three
fastest times in all the qualifying heats.
"Then I just talked myself into focusing. I played some music and
got myself into the zone. I knew I could do the double and really
concentrated on putting down a smooth lap."
Walker nailed the final, bursting first out of the start and
winning by more than a second in 32.218, the fastest time of the
day.
She finished ahead of Saturday's silver medallist, Manon Vanetino
from France with Lithuania's Vilma Rimsaite third.
"This hasn't sunk in yet. This morning I really didn't have the
time to think that I had become a world champion because I had to
prepare for today.
"This is a huge confidence boost for me. I came to these
championships with confidence in my own ability because I knew I
had done the training and the hard work. Now I know I can be the
best and I can foot it with the best.
"I'll take some time now to re-evaluate things and plan ahead.
There's a lot to do and still a lot of improvement in me. We have
the Olympic qualification starting this year and I have more world
championships to come.
"But the big goal is obviously the London Olympics. That is the
ultimate dream."
Fellow Rotorua club rider Tania Carson also qualified for the
final, finishing sixth after finishing seventh, fifth and fourth in
the three qualifying motos.
Canterbury's Elyse Imber finished sixth in the final of the junior
women, after qualifying strongly with two seconds and a third in
the motos.
