Kieran's Profile

Reigning BMX freestyle park world champion Kieran Reilly looks to make his Olympic debut this summer in Paris, as the discipline appears at the Games for the second time.

Reilly marked himself out as a future talent when he began performing tricks at his local skatepark, Leam Lane in Gateshead. His first competitive contest came at the Urban Games in Whitley Bay when he was 11, and despite falling in his run, he came away from the experience with a newfound confidence. Undeterred, Reilly continued to work tirelessly on perfecting new tricks and later that year, he landed a 720 (two full spins and one jump) - an impressive feat for such a young rider.

A natural talent, the results came quickly for Reilly, picking up podium places in his age categories across the British racing scene. Alongside training, Reilly continued working as an apprentice joiner during the week and in 2019, he reaped the rewards of his hard work when he travelled to his first international contest at FISE Montpellier in France. There, Reilly asserted himself on the international stage, winning the best trick of the competition. The following year, Reilly signed a personal sponsorship deal with Red Bull, and relocated to Corby in Northamptonshire to train with the Great Britain Cycling Team at Adrenaline Alley indoor skatepark.

At the age of 20, Reilly enjoyed a break-out season in 2022, beginning with a landmark achievement as he landed the world's first ever triple flair - three full backflips and a 180-degree rotation. Six months later in July, Reilly recorded his first major international medal, winning silver at the 2022 European championships in Munich, Germany.

The successes continued in 2023 as Reilly attended his first ever X Games in Japan in May, claiming a bronze medal. The very next month, Reilly won his first international competition, taking gold for Great Britain at the European Games in Krakow, Poland with a score of 92.33.

The year peaked with the home UCI Urban Cycling World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland in August. Competing in front of friends and family, Reilly put down a score of 95.80 in his second run to finish ahead of Logan Martin and Nick Bruce and be crowned world champion. Reilly topped off a stellar year with his first ever national title at the National BMX Freestyle Championships at Asylum Skatepark in Sutton-in-Ashfield.

In 2024, Reilly continued to progress towards his Olympic debut, coming third in the Olympic Qualifier Series in Shanghai, China to rubber stamp his selection for Paris.

Having delivered a run-up to his Olympic debut that saw him rise quickly through the ranks, Reilly was tipped for success at Paris and did not disappoint. Having qualified first with a packed run of his signature show-stopping tricks, Reilly went into the final guns blazing, showed his mettle in 40-degree heat and a stacked field and delivered the run of this life.

A sensational performance led him to take home his first Olympic medal, a silver, in style.

Reilly continued his success taking defending his European title in Switzerland later in the year. Heading into the world championships in December to attend to defend that title saw Reilly deliver two impressive performances as part of a British team that saw four men place in the top 10. However, in such a stacked field Reilly was unable to make it back-to-back wins and finished fifth overall to finish an incredibly successful season.

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