Stellar Olympic performances spark craze for emerging sports

Chinese youngsters lead the way in adopting and excelling in novel events

All it took was a BMX ride in 2023 and He Miyao was hooked. So much so that on every single day of her recent winter holidays, the 9-year-old third grader from Shanghai left home before dawn with her father for a more than two-hour-long car journey to Suzhou in Jiangsu province. Once there, she hit the tracks for five hours of practice on a BMX bike.

She pumped her bike up and down the rollers and berms, circling again and again, sometimes lifting the front wheel off the ground to execute a jump.

After completing her training, she made the long journey back home, arriving after dark, only to finish her homework for the day and go to bed around 9:30 pm.

But this was not just a holiday routine for the young girl. It has also been her weekend routine for the past year.

"Not all kids can persevere through this. It's tough," said her father He Wei, acknowledging his daughter's dedication.

"However, she's really gotten into the habit of being disciplined."

For He Miyao, it's not just a sport. "Riding the bumps and curves on the pump track is super cool! I love the ups and downs, the speed — it's so freeing," she said.

And her talent is now being noticed. Last year, she traveled to Suzhou, Huzhou in Zhejiang province, Beijing and Yantai in Shandong province, among other cities, to participate in youth BMX racing events.

In the national youth U-series racing championship held in Taizhou, Jiangsu province, on July 25-26, she ranked fourth in her category.

Just a few days later, she watched on TV the then-18-year-old cyclist Deng Yawen scoring 92.60 points in her second run to become China's first-ever Olympic BMX freestyle gold medalist.

At that very moment, the burning desire to represent China on the international stage as a cyclist surged within He Miyao's heart. The urge only grew stronger when she met Deng in person at the China Pump Track Series' stop in Suizhou, Hubei province, in September.

"She has developed a sense of national pride," said He Wei, adding that the family plans to support He Miyao in traveling abroad to take part in an international competition this year.