In her quest for Olympic gold, U.S. star Hannah Roberts checked a crucial box on Tuesday.

Roberts opened her second Olympic Games with a sensational performance in the women's BMX freestyle qualifier, posting a field-best 91.45 average, to sail into the final. Roberts' dazzling performance headlined the day on a blistering day in Paris, which also featured disappointment for defending Olympic champion Charlotte Worthington of Great Britain, who failed to reach the women's final.

On the men's side, U.S. stars Justin Dowell and Marcus Christopher joined a loaded group of qualifiers.

FULL RESULTS

Roberts, vying to one-up her Tokyo Olympic silver medal, showcased her A-game on Tuesday. Her first-run score of 91.80 topped the day, as did her 91.45 average. China's Yawen Deng (91.03) and Jiaqi Sun (87.83) fell in line right behind Roberts.

Fellow American Perris Benegas, who finished fourth in Tokyo, is also through to the final. She posted a score of 85.44 to qualify for Wednesday's action.

In front of her home crowd, 20-year-old Frenchwoman Laury Perez squeaked into the ninth and final qualification spot with a clutch 83.26 to book her spot in the final.

Great Britain's Worthington, meanwhile, is one of three athletes from today's action will miss the women's final. After winning gold in Tokyo, Worthington's Paris Olympic journey crashes to an early end.

FULL RESULTS

Americans Dowell and Christopher, the 2024 X Games champion, both punched their tickets in the final. Christopher tallied the best score of the first heat with a 90.10 in Run 1 and an 89.48 average.

Reigning world champion Kieran Reilly of Great Britain then delivered the day's top score on the men's side with a sparkling 91.68 in his first run. He coasted into the final along with defending Olympic champion Logan Martin of Australia, who posted the day's third-best score. French star Anthony Jeanjean also secured a final spot in front of the French faithful.

The men's and women's finals are both Wednesday morning at Place de la Concorde.