A Co Down girl is on track for big things as she represents Northern Ireland in the BMX European Cup.
Amelia Martin (11) was selected out of thousands of young hopefuls to represent their countries on the European stage in Belgium this weekend.
After only starting the sport two years ago, her career is going at pace — in every respect.
Amelia, from Downpatrick, will be the first girl from here to compete in the race.
Last year she was crowned Irish National Champion as well as the Irish Series Champion in the 7 to 10-year-old girls class.
Jessica training Amelia
This year she’s in the 11-14 category, but despite some older girls in the same class, she is sitting at second overall in that competition.
Her dad, Philip, said he is “so proud” of how far his daughter has come in the sport, and revealed one of Amelia’s goals is to make the Olympics in the future.
“Amelia understands the gap between where she is and her goal and what is involved to get there, and these European races are the first start for her,” he said.
“She knows what work needs to be done and is doing it and I couldn’t be prouder.
“These local, and now European races are all building towards her future and gaining essential experience.”
BMX only entered the Olympics in 2008 but has grown in popularity among teenagers and older riders.
“It’s clear the sport has been male-dominated for some time, but it’s girls like Amelia who can help pave the way for other girls to get involved,” he said.
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Amelia is believed to be the first girl from Ulster to go to the BMX European Cup. Credit: Cycling Ireland
While only beginning her BMX career, Amelia has had a good start and is being trained by former Olympian Jessica Lee (Jessica Lee Hoi-yan), a former Hong Kong cyclist who competed in the women’s keirin event at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo three years ago.
Although she isn’t a BMXer, Jessica explained there are many similarities in track sprint cycling and BMXing.
“A lot of BMXers sometimes go into sprint track cycling because, even though they don’t share the same playground, so to speak, they do share a lot of the same physical skills,” she said.
“Track cycling is indoors in a velodrome and BMX is obviously outdoors on a specific track.”
Jessica and Amelia have only been working together for the past three months on some strength and conditioning work, but she said the teen has “made some impressive physiological changes” and “is already a lot more co-ordinated”.
“Amelia is very mature for her age and I just wish when I was just starting out, before becoming a professional athlete, that I had older females I could turn to who had been down the same path,” Jessica explained.
“Let’s be open about it, being a woman in sport is difficult, but women who support other young women is important.
“Amelia has a very clear idea about what she wants in the sport and how she wants to achieve it, but it’s also important for her to enjoy what she does and do it with passion.
“If you can do something with passion and enough dedication and commitment, you can achieve what you want.”
Jessica at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics
Glen Doherty, Amelia’s BMX coach at the Belfast City BMX club, said she has “come on leaps and bounds” in the last two years.
He explained that since he began coaching in the sport in 2016, the Co Down rider is the first from the Belfast club to compete in the European Cup, where Amelia is headed this weekend.
“This next race will be her dipping her toe into the water because these European races are sort of a stepping stone in the careers of many who go on to compete in the Olympics after collecting enough points, among other things,” Glen explained.
“Amelia is a very focused child and is a great listener, always wanting to improve and develop her skills.
“It’s great to see girls like her going far in what was always traditionally a male-dominated sport,” he added.
“She and a lot of the kids look up to the likes of Bethany Shriever — the Olympic gold medallist — and things like that really drive the kids on.”
The coach said that one downside for many hopefuls like Amelia is the lack of funding in the sport.
“Last time she went to the Olympics, Bethany actually had to crowdfund,” he said.
“There’s not as much sponsorship deals or money in BMXing compared to ball sports, and it’s something we are working hard with local schools to try and change the perception of because not all kids like the same sports.”
The BMX European Cup is taking place in Belgium on Saturday and Sunday.