After a year as bumpy as the tracks she races around, BMX rider Saya Sakakibara has won her first elite Australian title, marking her return to the sport following a concussion sustained at the Tokyo Olympics.
The 22-year-old dominated Monday's racing at Nerang on the Gold Coast to take out the women's BMX crown, as Izaac Kennedy successfully defended his elite men's title.
Sakakibara made her Olympic debut in Tokyo, but had to take an extended break from competition after a semi-final crash left her with lingering concussion symptoms.
The crash was particularly devastating because of Sakakibara's determination to race in honour of her older brother, Kai, who was also a contender to make the Tokyo BMX team but was ruled out after sustaining severe head injuries in an early 2020 crash.
Sakakibara also had her wisdom teeth out ahead of the nationals.
She expressed relief about winning at the nationals, saying it had been an "amazing" year.
"It's been so good to get back onto home soil during this national championships," she said.
"I haven't been able to go for the elite national championship before, so it's been so good to come back to Australia, especially in a place like the Gold Coast.
"The track looked so impeccable and it was just so awesome to see everyone again."
Sakakibara said she had felt disconnected from her bike during her post-Olympics recovery.
"But as soon as I got onto this track it was a case of familiarity I think, and I was able to feel like myself again," she said.
"It's definitely a confidence booster coming into next year knowing I'm on the right track and all I have to do is continue on and get back into the racing."
Sakakibara's aim now is to win her first world title next year in France, where she hopes to win the rainbow jersey for best overall cyclist.
Also at the nationals, Kennedy did not drop a lap all weekend on the way to his second straight men's elite title.
The 21-year-old world number seven said he felt pressure to go back-to-back.
"It was a pretty stressful day; I was just trying to focus on each lap and not try to get caught up in the hype," he said.
Kyle Hill was runner-up to Kennedy for the second year in a row and Brad Game took third, while Desree Barnes (second) and Erin Lockwood took the minor placings in the women's final.
AAP/ABC
